Mexican man arrested in South Texas on child pornography charges

MCALLEN, Texas — A Mexican man residing in South Texas was charged Thursday with receiving child pornography.

This charge was announced by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick, Southern District of Texas.  This case is being investigated by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in coordination with the Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Investigations Task Force (RGV CEITF).

Following his Wednesday arrest, Angel DeJesus Torres, 27, from Mexico and residing in Donna, Texas, appeared before U.S. District Judge Scott Hacker on May 2. Judge Hacker charged Torres with receiving child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, Torres downloaded, received and possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on electronic devices. Authorities conducted an investigation to identify persons using peer-to-peer software on the internet to traffic in child pornography; they ultimately located a computer, allegedly linked to Torres. They searched his residence and seized two cellphones, according to the charges. The complaint also alleges law enforcement discovered multiple image and video files of child pornography on at least one of those devices. The allegations indicate he had been engaged in similar behavior for many years.

If convicted, Torres faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Belt and Andrew Henning, Southern District of Texas, are prosecuting this case.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

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 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3,191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) 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.

HSI is a founding member 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.