A Laredo man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual assault material (CSAM). U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced that Kristopher Santos, 31, pleaded guilty on March 28, 2023.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Santos to 360 months for sexual exploitation of a child and 240 months for possession of child pornography. The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in a total of 360 months in prison. During the hearing, the court considered the extensive collection of child pornography Santos possessed and emphasized the severity of his actions in producing CSAM.

Santos was ordered to pay $126,000 in restitution to the victims and will serve ten years on supervised release after completing his prison term. He must comply with various requirements restricting his access to children and the internet and register as a sex offender.

“This defendant is a textbook child predator,” said Hamdani. “He is the reason parents lose sleep at night, wondering if their kids are safe when not with them. He was a trusted family member who violated that trust when he both abused and utilized the minors to create child pornography images of his own. Parents can sleep better tonight knowing there is one less child predator on the streets.”

Craig Larrabee, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio Special Agent in Charge, stated: "Today's sentencing marks a significant victory in our relentless pursuit of justice for the innocent victims of child exploitation. This 30-year sentence sends a clear message that those who prey on the most vulnerable members of our society will be held accountable for their heinous crimes."

Authorities identified Santos during an undercover investigation into peer-to-peer networks in 2019, which revealed he was sharing CSAM online. A search warrant executed at his home led to the discovery and seizure of several electronic devices containing CSAM.

Santos admitted to being sexually attracted to children and acknowledged possessing a trunk filled with sex toys and children's underwear found at his residence. He also confessed to inappropriate contact with two minor relatives and taking explicit photographs.

Law enforcement ultimately discovered 47,729 images and 7,667 videos containing child pornography on Santos's seized devices.

Santos remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.

The investigation was conducted by HSI with assistance from Webb County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens prosecuted the case under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.