LAREDO, Texas - A 26-year-old Laredo resident is set to appear in federal court on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Kevin Montemayor Oct. 19.
The indictment was unsealed Dec. 7 upon his arrest. He is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga at 1:30 p.m.
According to the charges, a person linked to an IP address in Laredo had uploaded child pornography to Facebook messenger. Law enforcement conducted a search at the residence and allegedly encountered Montemayor.
A forensic analysis of Montemayor’s seized electronic devices included more than 7,000 images and videos of child pornography, according to the charges. The images allegedly included children as young as 3.
If convicted, Montemayor faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Petters is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
An indictment 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
