South Texas man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County resident was sentenced Thursday to 30 years imprisonment for producing child pornography.
This sentenced was announced by U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Western District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Gabriel Espinoza, 40, from San Antonio, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia to 360 months in prison, to be followed by 40 years of supervised release.
“The heavy sentence imposed on Espinoza sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for anyone who sexually exploits children in any way,” stated Special Agent in Charge James Spero, HSI San Antonio. “Targeting crimes of this nature is a high priority for HSI. We will continue to dedicate HSI resources nationwide to identify and bring to justice these predators."
According to court documents, on Feb. 3 Espinoza pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography. By pleading guilty, Espinoza admitted that on or about May 2011 he coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction. Espinoza then distributed images of the victim through the Internet.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson, Western District of Texas, prosecuted this case.
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 2,300 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.
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