Illegal alien arrested, charged in south Texas with possessing child pornography
LAREDO, Texas — An illegal alien from Mexico was arrested and charged Wednesday with possessing child pornography.
This arrest was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Webb County Sheriff's Office Cyber Crime Unit, Laredo Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Marshals Service.
Fidel Perales-Castillo, 43, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was arrested and charged Feb. 11 with possessing child pornography.
“Accessing, downloading and sharing child pornography constitutes a very serious crime that HSI will rigorously investigate to pinpoint the alleged perpetrator and potential victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Janice Ayala, HSI San Antonio. “Make no mistake, if you use the Internet to download child pornography, you will be identified, arrested and prosecuted.”
According to court documents, Perales-Castillo was arrested Wednesday following an investigation by the Laredo Child Exploitation Task Force, which was led by HSI special agents. Perales-Castillo made his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker.
“This is just one of the several cases that our investigators are keeping a close eye on,” said Martin Cuellar, Webb County Sheriff. “We will continue to utilize all resources as we track down these suspected child predators.”
The criminal complaint, filed Feb. 11, alleges Perales-Castillo utilized the Internet to download images depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Such images were allegedly downloaded multiple times over the past four years to a computer that was seized from Perales-Castillo.
If convicted, Perales-Castillo faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine; he will also be required to register as a sex offender.
This 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 12,000 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 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.
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. 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.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
HSI is a founding member and current chair 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.
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