A Guatemalan national has been charged with child exploitation offenses, according to an announcement by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, and West Haven Police Chief Joseph Perno. The individual, identified as Mario Rene Garcia Martinez, also known as "Mario Rene Martinez Garcia," 33, was arrested following a federal criminal complaint.
Court documents allege that in February 2024, Garcia Martinez used his smartphone to record sexually explicit videos and images of a prepubescent minor female while she was asleep in Connecticut.
Garcia Martinez was apprehended this morning in Valley Stream, New York. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport later that day and was ordered detained.
The charges against Garcia Martinez include production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment. He is also charged with possession of child pornography, which could result in up to 20 years imprisonment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman emphasized that "a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt." He added that "charges are only allegations," reminding that "a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Haven Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings is prosecuting the case with assistance from the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford.
This case falls under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Reports on cases involving child exploitation can be made at www.cybertipline.com.
