Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Andrew Birge, has announced the sentencing of 62-year-old Jose Montoya to 292 months in prison for the creation and collection of child pornography. The material, reportedly depicting preschool-aged children being abused, was discovered by Google and led to an investigation by the Michigan State Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI). Montoya will be deported to Mexico following the completion of his prison term.
"Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey, from ICE HSI Detroit, stated, 'We will continue to investigate any allegations of child exploitation that endanger our communities.' He added, 'We will not tolerate illegal aliens who not only violate our immigration laws, but even more egregiously, also target children for exploitation. We will hold them fully accountable for all their crimes.'"
During the investigation, it was revealed that Montoya had also produced videos using children from his wife's in-home daycare. A victim's parent expressed their strong feelings at the sentencing, focusing on their disgust and the betrayal involved.
This case is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a program aimed at protecting children from online exploitation. The initiative involves various levels of law enforcement working collaboratively to prevent and address child exploitation. The public is encouraged to report such exploitation to local authorities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru led the prosecution. The case was investigated by the Michigan State Police Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce and ICE HSI.
