Man sentenced to 10 years for distribution and possession of child pornography
TUCSON, Ariz. – A California resident living in Sahuarita was sentenced last Monday to 120 months imprisonment by District Judge James A. Soto, after being convicted by a federal jury on felony charges of distribution and possession of child pornography following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Carlos Cantizano, 46, of Rialito Calf will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be on a lifetime supervised release following his imprisonment. According to court documents, Cantizano was in possession of images of children under the age of 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
“HSI is dedicated to protecting our most vulnerable population against sexual predators who seek to take advantage of their innocence,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge for HSI Phoenix. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively protect children by diligently investigating online sexual offenses involving minors.”
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 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3,191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) 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.
The investigation in this case was conducted by special agents from HSI’s Nogales and Douglas offices. The prosecution was handled by Carin C. Duryee and Carmen F. Corbin, District of Arizona, Tucson.
Updated: