News Releases and Statements

Peter Henry Herz, 61, received a 97-month sentence Monday from U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Following the completion of his prison term, Herz will be subject to supervised release for the rest of his life.

Thomas J. Montieth, 65, was discovered by an undercover HSI special agent while using peer-to-peer file sharing software to distribute child pornography images from July 22 to Aug. 5, 2016. HSI special agents executed a federal search warrant Sep. 7 at Montieth’s residence where they discovered his desktop computer and flash drive contained 21,244 images and 394 videos of child pornography.

According to documents filed in the case, on July 6, 2016, Kelly Turner, 35, of San Angelo, Texas, distributed two images depicting a minor female engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

John Kevin Waldrip, 44, of Angleton, came to the attention of law enforcement following an investigation into persons using the Internet to traffic in child pornography via peer-to-peer software. A detective with PPD was able to locate and identify a computer as offering to participate in the receipt of child pornography videos through a peer-to-peer network on the Internet. 

Following a referral from the Puerto Rico Police Department’s (PRPD) Cyber Crimes Division and an HSI investigation, a federal grand jury indicted Geovanni Velázquez-Méndez, 36, for production of child pornography, sexual enticement of a minor and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct. 

D’mar Dwain Jennings Conway, 29, who pleaded guilty March 7 to sexual exploitation of children, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White. In his plea agreement, Conway admitted coercing the victim, for whom he served as a caregiver, to engage in sex acts for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct. The defendant further admitted that numerous pictures he took of himself engaging in sex acts with the child, who was approximately 3 to 6 years old, were taken inside Conway’s residence.

Arturo Castro, 52, of Wilmette, Illinois, pleaded to one count of use of an interstate facility to persuade a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.

Rodrigo Garcia-Fuentes, from McAllen, Texas, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, who accepted the guilty plea and set sentencing for Aug. 15, 2017. 

David H. Bentz, 46, of Norwell, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Bentz made his admission before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith.

Marquis Konrad Streaty, 32, of Arlington, Texas, was convicted Wednesday on one count of enticing a child. The offense carries a penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison.

Ryan Michael Booth, 32, of Long Beach, was convicted by a jury in March of eight counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a minor 10 years or younger and five felony counts of using a minor for sex acts.

Eric Bongiorni, 32, was arrested by HSI Blaine special agents in March 2016 after a court-authorized search warrant revealed numerous images and videos of child sexual abuse on his electronic devices.

Kevin Ray McMillan, 37, of Corpus Christi, is a teen mentor with the Boys and Girls Club of Corpus Christi and is also founder of Texas Youth Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit youth organization that mentors aspiring young future business owners, according to the charges.

Matthew Kelzenberg, 42, of Cashmere, Wash., who works as a private music teacher, Eduardo P. Ramos, 19, and Jose Manuel Ortega Ibarra, 21, both of Wenatchee, were arrested earlier this month by HSI special agents in collaboration with the Wenatchee Police Department and Chelan County Sheriff’s office.

Michael David Rivera, 30, of Bismarck, North Dakota, was sentenced to seven years in prison on one count of receiving illicit images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.

Felix Restitullo, 41, Jersey City, New Jersey, was convicted of one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls in Newark federal court.

Edwin Velasquez-Curuchiche, 40, of Guatemala, formerly of Lebanon, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography on Feb. 21, 2016.

Christopher Lynn Persky, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt to 327 and 240 months for the production and distribution convictions, respectively.  Both sentences will run concurrently.

Robert D. Thorson, 58, was arrested May 30, 2016, after his girlfriend contacted the Des Moines police to alert them about sexually explicit images of minors found on Thorson’s phone. Thorson was convicted in February following a three-day trial, which included testimony about images found on his phone, computer, thumb drives, and DVDs.

Willard Abatie, 64, from Chesterton, Indiana, was also sentenced to five years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

Dilbagh Singh, 56, of Ontario, Canada, was taken into custody Wednesday in Flagstaff by investigators with ICE HSI, the FBI, the Flagstaff and Cottonwood police departments, and the METRO Narcotics Task Force.

Christopher Dale Gann, 30, from Dallas, has been in custody since his arrest in October 2016.