BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An undocumented individual pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing a firearm and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and U.S. Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.
Antonio Zapata-Chairez, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement, in August 2019, FBI agents executed a search warrant for Zapata-Chairez’s residence in Birmingham based on an on-going investigation related to internet communications concerning child pornography. During the execution of the search warrant, two mobile phones, a laptop, and a Walther Smith and Wesson P22 semi-auto .22 caliber handgun were seized from the residence. The FBI contacted HSI concerning Zapata-Chairez’s status in the United States and learned that he was a foreign national and citizen of Mexico. Additionally, after a forensic examination of the digital devices and an analysis of Zapata-Chairez’s online account, images and videos of child pornography were located.
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, along with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Assistant United States Attorneys John Camp and R. Leann White are prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.