East Texas man pleads guilty to producing child pornography

TYLER, Texas - A 29-year-old East Texas man pleaded guilty on Friday to three counts of producing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales, Eastern District of Texas.

According to information presented in court, on Feb. 2, a search warrant was executed at Enrique Estrada Quintana's Henderson, Texas, residence during which several computers, cameras and other forms of digital media were seized. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed several thousand images of child pornography and more than 10,000 child pornography videos.

In addition, Quintana actually took about 100 pictures and 20 videos of three different minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of these images depict prepubescent children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct and committing sexual acts.

Quintana was indicted by a federal grand jury on Mar. 2.

Quintana faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

The case is being investigated by the following law enforcement agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service, the Henderson Police Department, and the Longview Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children/Cyber Crimes Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice, Eastern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.