2 Southeast Texas men sentenced to years in federal prison for separate cases of possessing child pornography

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two Southeast Texas men were sentenced to federal prison Monday following their convictions in separate cases for possessing child pornography.

This joint investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with the assistance of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Rogelio Castaneda, 61, and Jose Ivan Davila, 54, pleaded guilty, Jan. 23, in separate but similar cases.

U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey sentenced Castaneda to 121 months in federal prison. Davila received a 70-month term of imprisonment. Both men were further ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after they complete their prison terms, during which time they must comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict access to children and the internet. They must also register as sex offenders.

The investigation into Castaneda began after authorities discovered he had uploaded images of child pornography to his email accounts. Law enforcement learned Castaneda had a prior conviction related to child pornography and, as such, is required to register as a sex offender. However, he had failed to do so and was taken into custody in February 2017. Law enforcement seized several digital devices at the time of his arrest, which led to the discovery of about 2,500 images and 700 videos of child pornography. At the time of his arrest, Castaneda admitted to having an interest in adolescent girls.

In Davila’s case, authorities were investigating a file-sharing program in February 2017, when they identified a computer as a potential source of at least 41 files of known images of child pornography. That computer was later linked to Davila.

The next month, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Davila’s residence and seized various electronic devices. Forensic analysis on those devices revealed more than 296 images and about 260 videos of child pornography. Two of those videos included images of young girls, about 9 and 11 years old, performing oral sex on an adult male.

Both men will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.

The investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.