HSI Phoenix case results in Mexican national sentenced over 34 years for producing child pornography, cyberstalking
PHOENIX – On July 26, a Mexican national was sentenced to 413 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for his involvement in producing child pornography and cyberstalking. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Goodyear Police Department conducted this investigation.
Ruben Oswaldo Yeverino Rosales, 27, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of production of child pornography and two counts of cyberstalking.
“The defendants’ actions were beyond disgraceful, and the brutality of his crimes are reflected in the severity of his sentence,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI’s Phoenix field office. “Our hope is that this sentence sends a message that our HSI agents will aggressively pursue anyone who attempts to prey on children, as well as serve as a starting point to the healing process for the victims and their families, wherever they may live. HSI is firmly committed to aggressively investigating cases against individuals who participate in such grotesque behavior.”
Rosales, using an online account in Mexico, coerced a 14-year-old girl in Arizona to take over 600 pornographic images of herself. He then blackmailed the minor into producing additional images by threatening to send, and by sending the images to her family and schoolmates. Rosales also used the internet to coerce an 18-year-old high school senior in Arizona into taking nude pictures of herself and sending them to him. He later threatened to create a pornographic website to post the images if she did not continue to send him pictures.
The investigation into Rosales revealed that he used social media from 2015 until the time of his arrest to exploit more than 100 females, mostly minors – some as young as 12 years of age. Special agents with HSI were able to identify more than 80 of these victims throughout the United States and in multiple other countries.
Rosales was arrested in Mexico in 2019. In May 2020, Rosales was extradited to the District of Arizona.
This sentencing considered similar indictments in five other districts, including the Central District of California, the District of South Carolina, the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Eastern District of Missouri, and Northern District of Oklahoma. As part of Rosales’ plea agreement, these indictments will be dismissed.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gayle Helart and Sheila Phillips, District of Arizona handled the prosecution.
HSI works tirelessly to protect children from sexual abuse or exploitation by predators involved in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, HSI arrested 3,776 dangerous child predators and identified and/or rescued 1,177 child victims. Since 2013, HSI has rescued and/or identified more than 8,500 child victims.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free tip line at 1-866-347-2423, or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the United States and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users may call TTY 802-872-6196.
One of HSI’s top priorities is to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s child exploitation investigations program is a central component of this mission set. Further, HSI is recognized as a global leader in this investigative discipline, and is committed to utilizing its vast authorities, international footprint and strong government and non-government partnerships to identify and rescue child victims, identify, and apprehend offenders, prevent transnational child sexual abuse, and help make the internet a safer place for children.
For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to keep Arizona communities safe from child predators follow us on Twitter @HSIPhoenix.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 86 overseas locations in 55 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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