A 19-year-old Chinese national has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography after entering the United States illegally, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jinyi Zheng pleaded guilty on June 2. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed down the sentence, which includes supervised release for five years following her imprisonment. If Zheng is not removed from the country after serving her prison term, she will be required to serve an additional 24 months on home confinement. She must also register as a sex offender and comply with restrictions limiting her access to children and the internet.
Authorities encountered Zheng near Hidalgo, Texas, on February 12 after she crossed into the United States from Mexico without authorization. During their investigation, law enforcement found an Apple iPhone 14 belonging to Zheng that contained six videos depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“This case shows why border security is so imperative,” said Ganjei. “Zheng is not the kind of person who we want walking around free in American communities, with the ability to prey on children. Fortunately, swift action by our law enforcement partners prevented this would-be predator from ever gaining access to our nation’s interior.”
Zheng remains in custody and will be transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell is prosecuting the case.
The prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and protect victims. More information about PSC can be found at DOJ’s PSC page; resources for internet safety education are also available there.
