A federal court docket in Del Rio, Texas, sentenced an Ecuadorian nationwide on Wednesday to 84 months in jail and 5 years of supervised launch for possession of kid sexual abuse supplies. The sentencing of the 27-year-old migrant from Cuenca Provincia, Azuay, Ecuador follows a July 2021 bench trial the place the court docket discovered him responsible of possessing a big trove of pornographic pictures involving youngster sexual abuse.
In line with court docket paperwork, Del Rio Sector Border Patrol brokers apprehended Ramiro Helibuerto Cuenca-Campos close to Brackettville, Texas, throughout a failed migrant smuggling try. On the time of his arrest, Border Patrol brokers found express pictures involving kids on his cellphone. A subsequent forensic evaluation of his cellphone revealed greater than 2,000 pictures containing youngster sexual abuse materials.
Prosecutors charged Cuenca in federal court docket for his possession of the supplies. On July 27, 2021, Chief U.S. District Choose Alia Moses discovered Cuenca-Campos responsible following a bench trial. The Ecuadorian migrant remained in federal custody since his arrest on March 10, 2020. Along with the jail sentence, the choose ordered Cuenca-Campos to pay $18,000 in restitution to the victims and $200 in particular assessments. Chief Choose Moses additionally ordered the forfeiture of his cellphone.
“This defendant traveled from Ecuador and crossed the border into our country with a sickening amount of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone,” stated U.S. Lawyer Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “Thankfully, our federal law enforcement partners at the border disrupted a human smuggling operation and conducted their routine procedures, searching this individual and his phone when they detained him. This case reinforces the fact that, much like our policies against the drugs and firearms, that noncitizens occasionally try to bring into the U.S., we will not tolerate anyone bringing in material that sexually exploits and harms children.”
“Individuals who receive and possess child pornography participate in the victimization of children whose innocence can never be restored,” stated Performing Particular Agent in Cost Craig S. Larrabee for the ICE Homeland Safety Investigations San Antonio Division. “These criminals also represent a public safety threat to our communities. For those reasons, child exploitation cases are a top priority for HSI, and we will continue to work closely with our federal partners to ensure they are arrested, prosecuted, and ultimately removed from the United States.”
HSI and USBP investigated the case, which was caused as a part of Challenge Protected Childhood — a nationwide initiative to fight the rising epidemic of kid sexual exploitation and abuse launched in Might 2006 by the Division of Justice, officers said. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Workplaces and CEOS, Challenge Protected Childhood marshals federal, state, and native sources to higher find, apprehend and prosecute people who exploit kids by way of the Web, in addition to to establish and rescue victims, the assertion continued.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the US Border Patrol. Previous to his retirement, he served because the Division Chief for Regulation Enforcement Operations, directing operations for 9 Border Patrol Stations inside the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Observe him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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