Southeast Texas convicted sex offender charged with possessing child pornography

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A southeast Texas man, who is a previously convicted sex offender, was charged Thursday with possessing child pornography.

These charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston, and the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with the assistance of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The criminal complaint alleges that in July 2017, Manuel Diaz, 64, from Corpus Christi, printed photographs of nude children from a flash drive at a pharmacy. A subsequent forensic examination allegedly resulted in discovering more than 850 pornographic images and videos of children as young as 12 years old.

U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington ordered Diaz detained pending further criminal proceedings.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender Registry, Diaz has a prior sex offense-related conviction.

If convicted of the latest charges, Diaz faces a minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in federal prison, and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

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 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 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.