EL PASO – An El Paso man was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for charges related to receipt and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Peter Sebastian Felix, 29, had been exchanging sexually explicit images with a minor. Felix was in a rock band and used his popularity to gain the trust of underage girls. Homeland Security Investigations agents discovered a USB drive containing several video files of the minor engaging in sexual acts. Agents also searched an external hard drive, revealing approximately 50 files containing suspected child sexual exploitation material, one of the files depicting a minor between eight and 10 years old.
Felix pleaded guilty in June 2022 to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography. A restitution hearing is scheduled for March.
“Protecting children, who are among the most vulnerable victims in this country, will always be a priority,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “We and our partners are always here to identify these predators, put an end to their harmful behavior, and bring them to justice.”
“Justice has been served. However, no sentence is lengthy enough to penalize predators for the lifetime of pain and suffering the innocent children whom they’ve victimized will suffer,” said Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola of the HSI El Paso Division. “HSI continues to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest and prosecute child predators in our shared mission to protect children and prosecute perpetrators whose behavior has no place in our society.”
HSI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Valenzuela prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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