New York man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography

ALBANY, N.Y — An upstate New York man was sentenced to 360 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for producing and possessing child pornography. The sentence is the result of an extensive investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Aaron Martinez, 27, of Saranac, N.Y., pleaded guilty on May 10, 2011, to one count of a two count indictment charging him with production of child pornography – he was initially charged on Dec. 15, 2010. On Jan. 12, 2011, a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of production and possession of child pornography. Martinez was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Norman A. Mordue in Albany.

Pursuant to a written plea agreement, Martinez admitted that on or about May 20 and May 21, 2010, he sexually assaulted a three-year-old girl and filmed the assault with a video camera.

The prosecution of Martinez was the result of a joint investigation by ICE HSI, Plattsburgh (N.Y.) Police Department and the Clinton County (N.Y.) District Attorney's Office.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE HSI 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 HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel C. Gardner, Northern District of New York, prosecuted the case.