McALLEN, Texas – A 27-year old resident of McAllen has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Jorge Trevino-Blanco pleaded guilty Sept. 28, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez took into consideration the number of videos and images involved in the offense as well as the harm to the victims and handed Trevino-Blanco a sentence of 120 months in federal prison. The sentence will be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. Additional information was also presented today, including testimony regarding the fact that certain videos involved children under three years of age and children engaged in acts of bondage. The court further ordered restitution for one of the victims involved in the offense in the amount of $10,000. Trevino-Blanco will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
Trevino-Blanco came to the attention of law enforcement following an investigation which began Oct. 16, 2015, into persons using the Internet to traffic in child pornography. A special agent with HSI was able to locate and identify a computer as offering to participate in the receipt of child pornography movies and images through the peer-to-peer network on the Internet. Through the investigation, it was determined that the computer was located in a residence in McAllen.
On July 8, 2016, authorities executed a federal search warrant at that residence, during which time they seized two laptop computers and an external hard drive. A forensic examination on the devices revealed a total of 123 videos and 282 images of child pornography involving clearly young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These videos and images included children under the age of 12 engaged in sadistic conduct and acts of violence. Some of the videos and images are of known victims as identified through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Trevino-Blanco admitted he downloaded child pornography from the Internet, thereby receiving the child pornography found on his computers and external hard drive. He further admitted he had been doing so for approximately four years.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI conducted the investigation.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Benavides, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."