News Releases and Statements

Christopher Nixon, 23, was ordered to serve 17.5 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James in the Western District of Louisiana. In addition to his prison term, Nixon is required to serve 15 years of supervised release following the completion of his sentence.

Justin Carter, 31, pleaded guilty Aug. 27. According to court documents, Carter used a computer at a friend’s home to solicit, receive and share images of child pornography.

Michael Centanni, 48, is scheduled to be sentenced April 9. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. He must also register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 15 years.

Michael Yellowhorse, born in 1987, from Denver, Colorado, appeared Dec. 29 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Boyd N. Boland for a preliminary hearing and detention hearing.

HSI special agents arrested Hector Antonio Suarez-Rodriguez, 49, after a referral from the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit led to an investigation that revealed that child pornography was shared on numerous occasions through a peer-to-peer file sharing application, utilizing an IP address that was later traced to Suarez-Rodriguez.

Following his prison sentence, Gregory Lynn Hopson, 44, of Westminster, Colorado, was ordered to serve a lifetime supervised release, and register as a sex offender. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock also ordered Hopson to pay restitution to the victim of his crime. Hopson was remanded into custody at the conclusion of the hearing.

Derek Hutter, 37, was charged with one count of attempted production of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. He was arrested on those charges and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney Dec. 18.

James Allen Myers, 67, of Carriere, Mississippi, lived in North Port, Florida, until 2013 when he moved to Carriere. After receiving a tip, HSI special agents found Myers to be in possession of numerous computer hard drives, CDs and other computer devices which contained over 20,000 images and videos of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adults.

Jason E. Cooper, 34, of Decatur, was sentenced Dec. 18 by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough to 20 years in federal prison.

Roberto Garcia, from Lubbock, Texas, who is on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report; a sentencing date will be set after that report is completed.

HSI special agents arrested Julio F. Figueroa-Alvarez after they received a referral from the Puerto Rico Police Department’s Sexual Crimes Division.

Luis Angel Reyes-Torres, 41, was encountered at his residence while HSI special agents were executing a federal search warrant at his address.

Derek M. West, 32, of Waipahu, is accused of three counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. He was arraigned following his indictment and pleaded not guilty.

Jeremiah Malfroid, 33, surrendered Saturday to the Butte County Jail in Oroville, California, where he is being held on federal child pornography charges.

Mark Pinnock, 23, was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to five years of supervised release. In August 2014, Pinnock pleaded guilty to recruiting and transporting a minor to engage in prostitution. Two co-defendants, Justin Richardson and Martin Pinkney, both of Baltimore, will be sentenced Dec.19 and 22, respectively.

Palencia-Murillo allegedly used social media to recruit and coerce his victims into sending him pornographic images. His victims were all males between the ages of 10 and 16.

Benito Agramon Castro, 50, from Irving, Texas, pleaded guilty in February 2014 to one count of possessing prepubescent child pornography. He has been in custody since his arrest in December 2013.

Thomas Thompson, 66, of Alice, Texas, was sentenced Dec. 11 to 96 months in federal prison, along with a lifetime of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. Additional charges against Thompson are pending with the state court for molesting his granddaughter.

Eduardo Cantillo, 43, from Lubbock, Texas, is in custody and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.

John Balyo, 35, of Grand Rapids, was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and was ordered to pay $8,500 to the victims.

Wade H. Dewey, 48, of Syracuse, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that on Aug. 2, 2013, he was found at home possessing images and videos depicting child pornography, which he had obtained via the Internet.

Scott Burns, 45, was charged in a sealed indictment returned Nov. 24, and unsealed Friday upon his arrest at his Alvin home. He appeared Tuesday for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge John R. Froeshner.

Bradley Allen Vaine, 28, was previously convicted of receiving and distributing sexually explicit images of children. In addition to 25 years’ incarceration, U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Vaine to a lifetime of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.

HSI special agents arrested Edwin J. Santiago-Rivera, 25, a member of the Puerto Rico National Guard, at his residence in the municipality of Villalba after receiving information from the PRPD Sex Crimes Division in Ponce regarding the alleged transportation by Santiago-Rivera of a 14-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe, with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

Jeffrey Adam Tracy, 38, was found guilty by a jury Oct. 16 of two felony counts of oral copulation of a child 10 years old or younger; four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14; and one felony count of using a minor for sex acts.