LAREDO, Texas — A South Texas guy pleaded in charge March 28 to sexual exploitation of a child and ownership of child pornography following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Webb County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
Kristopher Santos, 29, of Laredo, pleaded in charge March 28 sooner than U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña, who permitted his in charge plea for fees associated with child pornography.
According to court docket paperwork, HSI recognized Kristopher Santos in 2019 when engaging in a peer-to-peer undercover investigation and Santos used to be sharing child pornography on-line. On April 12, 2019, cops searched his house with a warrant and found out and seized a number of digital units. Authorities additionally found out a trunk complete of intercourse toys and kids’s lingerie. Santos said he used to be sexually interested in kids, admitted to viewing the child pornography and stated the trunk belonged to him. He additionally admitted to touching two minor family members inappropriately and taking nude photos of them. Law enforcement in the long run recognized 27,729 images and seven,667 movies containing child pornography at the seized digital units.
U.S. District Judge Marmolejo will sentence Santos at a later date. At that point, Santos faces a compulsory minimal of 15 years and as much as 30 years in federal jail.
Santos stays in custody pending his sentencing listening to.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.
HSI encourages the general public to file suspected child predators and any suspicious job via its toll-free tip line at 866-347-2423, or via finishing its on-line tip shape. Both are staffed across the clock via investigators. From out of doors the United States and Canada, callers must dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired customers might name TTY 802-872-6196.
HSI takes a victim-centered method to child exploitation investigations via operating to spot, rescue and stabilize sufferers. HSI works in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), ICAC companions, and different federal, state, and native companies to assist clear up circumstances and rescue sexually exploited kids. Suspected child sexual exploitation or lacking kids could also be reported to NCMEC’s toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, a global alliance of legislation enforcement companies and personal business sector companions operating in combination to forestall and deter on-line child sexual abuse.
HSI is the foremost investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), accountable for investigating transnational crime and threats, in particular the ones prison organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by which global industry, commute and finance transfer. HSI’s team of workers of greater than 8,700 workers is composed of greater than 6,000 particular brokers assigned to 237 towns during the United States, and 93 in another country places in 56 international locations. HSI’s global presence represents DHS’s biggest investigative legislation enforcement presence out of the country and one of the biggest global footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.
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