McALLEN, Texas - A 27-year-old man residing in Donna has been taken into custody on charges of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Law enforcement arrested Angel DeJesus Torres at his residence last night. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Hacker at 10:30 a.m. today.
The complaint alleges Torres downloaded, received and possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on electronic devices.
Authorities conducted on investigation to identify persons using peer-to-peer software on the internet to traffic in child pornography and ultimately located a computer, allegedly linked to Torres. They conducted a search at his residence and seized two cell phones, according to the charges.
The complaint alleges law enforcement discovered multiple image and video files of child pornography on at least one of those devices.
The allegations indicate he had been engaged in similar behavior for many years.
If convicted, Torres faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible fine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation as part of the Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Investigations Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Belt and Andrew Henning are prosecuting the case, which 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."
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
