Iowa man sentenced to 10 years for possession of child pornography

LAREDO, Texas — An Iowa man was sentenced Friday to 10 years imprisonment for possessing child pornography, announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Daniel Frias Gomez, 23, of Columbus, Iowa, was sentenced May 15 by Senior U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen to 87 months for possession child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Gomez will also be required to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2013.

According to the court documents, Gomez was apprehended Sept. 27, 2013, as he applied for admission back into the United States via the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge, Port of Entry No. 2, in Laredo as a passenger onboard a commercial bus. He had claimed to have gone to Mexico to visit relatives and was on his way back home to Iowa.

Gomez was referred to secondary inspection, at which time multiple electronic devices, including DVDs and memory cards, were discovered. He claimed ownership of those devices. A search was conducted and about 200 child pornographic images and videos were discovered. Some of the images included variations of pornography, including some involving bestiality.

Gomez made claims that he was approached by an “unknown” male, who offered him pornographic images because he had a PSP device. He ultimately decided to plead guilty as charged. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Suntrease Williams prosecuted the case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonah Lee handled the sentencing.

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 10,000 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 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 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.

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.