ICE HSI investigation leads to Southeast Texas child predator being sent to prison for life for exploiting Filipino children
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – An investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi Police Department led to a southeast Texas man being ordered to serve the rest of his life in federal prison Tuesday following convictions for several child exploitation-related offenses including foreign travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with three minors.
Edward Sanchez, 59, a resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, was sentenced to life in federal prison March 1 in the Southern District of Texas. A federal jury convicted Sanchez July 26, 2021, following a week-long trial and approximately 10 hours of deliberation. Sanchez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
At the hearing, the court heard evidence of his attempts to solicit and coerce additional schoolmates of the victims and also heard testimony from a mental health professional regarding the effects of his actions. In imposing the sentence, U.S. Nelva Gonzales Ramos noted Sanchez’s complete lack of remorse for his actions.
At trial, evidence showed Sanchez had traveled to the Philippines where he posed as a benefactor to a school. However, he ultimately sought sexual relationships with students. The jury heard from three minor victims who testified about his activities, which included requests for pornographic images. These were later used to extort the children into meeting for sexual encounters, some unprotected, in the Philippines. Sanchez often provided victims with “morning after pills” to prevent conception.
The jury also heard about and viewed social media messages detailing Sanchez’s attempts to arrange access to the child victim’s family members to another adult male for sex. During their deliberations, the jury poured through thousands of pages of social media messages detailing his exploitation of the victims.
The defense attempted to convince the jury his conduct was lawful by Filipino standards and that United States laws were racist. The jury did not believe those claims, ultimately finding Sanchez had sexually exploited three minor children between March 5, 2016, and Nov. 21, 2018, in the Philippines and while in the United States using social media.
“This individual traveled abroad and preyed on the vulnerability of innocent children to carry out his sick desires without regard for the physical, psychological and emotional damage that he caused” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brad Scott, HSI Corpus Christi. “By sentencing him to prison for the rest of his life, a powerful message has been sent to child predators everywhere that protecting children remains a top priority for HSI and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners around the world to bring those who victimize children to justice no matter where the abuse occurs.”
Sanchez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany L. Jensen and Dennis Robinson prosecuted the case.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and 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 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 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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