LAREDO, Texas – A 24-year-old Mexican national been charged with possession and transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
A federal grand jury returned the two-count indictment today against Cristian Dolores Munoz-De La Rosa. He is expected to appear for his arraignment in the near future.
On June 6, law enforcement was conducting a human smuggling investigation near Carrizo Springs, according to the charges. Upon inspection, they seized a phone allegedly belonging to one of the individuals.
The charges allege they found child pornography images on that device. A preliminary review of the phone showed approximately 20 images of child pornography, according to the allegations.
If convicted, Munoz-De La Rosa faces up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a $250,000 maximum fine.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney April Ayers-Perez is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.