A 31-year-old resident of Beeville, Texas, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Brian Perez pleaded guilty on August 20, 2025. U.S. District Judge David Morales sentenced him to 144 months in prison on February 4, after hearing details about Perez's efforts to trade images and videos with others online to expand his collection. After completing his sentence, Perez will be subject to ten years of supervised release, during which he must follow restrictions related to children and internet access. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. The court will determine restitution at a later date.
The investigation began on November 7, 2024, when authorities found that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded online and traced it back to Perez. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at his Beeville home and seized two electronic devices.
Forensic analysis revealed approximately 75 videos and more than 1,000 images depicting child sexual abuse material, including prepubescent children involved in sexually explicit acts. Perez admitted he began viewing such material two years earlier and that multiple images were stored on his phone.
Perez remains in custody while awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation into the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and Izaak Bruce prosecuted the case under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child exploitation crimes nationwide. "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 further information about Project Safe Childhood or internet safety education resources, visit DOJ’s PSC page or its resources tab.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is part of the U.S. Department of Justice under the Attorney General official website. The office operates from locations including Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville official website, covering a region with over nine million residents across 43 counties official website. Its responsibilities include prosecuting federal crimes and handling civil cases involving the government official website. Past leaders have included Alamdar Hamdani (2022-2025) and Ryan Patrick official history page.
