Guatemalan national indicted for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material

EL PASO, Texas — A Guatemalan national was indicted in an El Paso federal court Nov. 2 on two counts related to child sexual abuse material following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The U.S. Border Patrol assisted with the case.

According to court documents, Jesus Menjibar Salinas, 20, was arrested by Border Patrol agents east of Sierra Blanca on Oct. 3. An affidavit filed in a criminal complaint alleges that Salinas possessed a cellphone with photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse material stored within the device and in a messaging application.

Salinas is charged with transporting child pornography and possessing child pornography. If convicted, he faces a penalty of five to 20 years in prison for the transportation charge and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the possession charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Osterberg is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about our mission to eradicate child predators in the community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIElPaso.