Southeast Texas man sentenced to 62 ½ years in federal prison for producing child pornography

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A former U.S. Marine from Southeast Texas was sentenced Wednesday to 62 ½ years in federal prison following his conviction for producing child pornography by sexually molesting three young children.

This sentence was announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation, with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

John Anthony Perez, 37, of Aransas Pass, Texas, was sentenced by Senior US. District Judge Hayden Head to 250 months in federal prison on each of three counts, which are to run consecutively. The 750-month total sentence will also be followed by 20 years of supervised release during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He must also register as a sex offender. Judge Head also ordered Perez to pay $150,000 in restitution to each victim for a total of $450,000. Perez pleaded guilty to the charges in May.

The investigation into Perez began when authorities learned of the sexual assault of three young children. The children were identified and they confirmed the abuse. Perez was identified as the perpetrator and admitted to sexual assaulting the three children and taking sexual explicit photographs and videos of the abuse. Perez admitted his interest in child pornography started when he was deployed overseas with the U.S. Marine Corps.

In March 2016, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and seized various electronic devices.  Forensic examination led to the discovery of 37 videos and 189 images of Perez sexual assaulting three children. Authorities also discovered 494 other videos and more than 16,000 other images of child pornography.

At the hearing, an HSI special agent described the additional videos and images of child pornography Perez possessed, many depicting the sexual exploitation of infants, bondage and bestiality. A psychologist who evaluated the children also told the court that Perez had first abused the young children when they were toddlers.

Perez was arrested on the federal charges in March 2016 and has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Hugo R. Martinez, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 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.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.