Idaho man with child pornography on cellphone sentenced to 56 months

BOISE, Idaho – A 25-year-old Mexican national was sentenced Tuesday to 56 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Rexburg Police Department.

Heriberto Aleman-Aguero, formerly of St. Anthony, Idaho, admitted to possessing images of child pornography when he pleaded guilty last November. According to court documents, the photos were discovered last August when Aleman-Aguero turned his cellphone over to technicians at a Rexburg wireless retail store. While the phone was being repaired, a technician observed several images and videos containing what he believed to be child pornography. The technician contacted police, who obtained a search warrant for the phone. HSI forensic analysis of the cellphone and its memory card revealed more than a dozen sexually explicit images of minors, including depictions of pre-teen children engaged in sexual acts with adults.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

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 (1-800-843-5678).

HSI is a founding member and the U.S. representative 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.