McALLEN, Texas - A 30-year old resident of McAllen has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Rodrigo Garcia-Fuentes pleaded guilty June 2, 2017.
Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane took into consideration the age of the victims depicted in the videos and photographs, as well as the number of images possessed by the defendant and handed Garcia-Fuentes a sentence of 70 months in prison. Garcia-Fuentes was further ordered to be on supervised release for the remainder of his life following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $62,500.
Garcia-Fuentes came to the attention of law enforcement following an investigation which began April 4, 2016, into persons using the Internet to traffic in child pornography. A special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was able to locate and identify a computer as offering to participate in the receipt of child pornography videos through a peer-to-peer network on the Internet. Through the investigation, it was determined that the computer was located at a residence in McAllen.
On July 29, 2016, HSI agents executed a federal search warrant at the McAllen residence, during which time they seized a computer. A forensic examination on the computer revealed 650 videos and 658 images of child pornography involving minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These videos included children under the age of 12 involved in sadistic conduct and other depictions of violence. Some of the videos are of known victims as identified through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Garcia-Fuentes admitted he downloaded and viewed child pornography from the Internet, thereby receiving the child pornography found on his computer. He admitted he had been downloading child pornography for approximately four years.
Garcia-Fuentes will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI conducted the investigation.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Paxton, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
