SAN FRANCISCO – Joey Wong Hernandez, 29, of San Francisco, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison after being sentenced for the production and possession of sickening child pornography. U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney handed down the 180-month sentence, a grim reckoning for Hernandez’s depraved acts.
Hernandez pleaded guilty on November 14, 2018, admitting to a trove of abuse. The plea revealed a digital collection of hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children. But it didn’t stop there. Hernandez actively created a video of himself engaging in sexual activity with a minor, a particularly heinous detail that fueled the severity of the sentence.
The investigation, spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), uncovered a disturbing pattern. Between February 20, 2016, and June 25, 2016, Hernandez preyed upon a minor he met on an online dating site, knowing she was between 12 and 16 years old. He coerced her into sexual acts, recording the abuse on his phone. His digital depravity extended beyond this single victim; Hernandez hoarded over 600 videos and images on a laptop, hard drives, and his phone, some depicting infants and toddlers.
Federal prosecutors presented a grand jury indictment on March 8, 2018, charging Hernandez with three counts of producing child pornography (18 U.S.C. § 2251(a)), three counts of distributing the material (18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1)), and one count of possession (18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B)). While the indictment was extensive, Hernandez ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of production and one count of possession, with the remaining charges dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Beyond the prison term, Judge Chesney imposed a 10-year term of supervised release upon Hernandez’s eventual release. He is already in federal custody and will begin serving his sentence immediately. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sailaja M. Paidipaty and Marina Ponomarchuk secured the conviction, delivering a measure of justice in a case that plumbed the depths of human cruelty.
If you suspect child exploitation, report it. Homeland Security Investigations’ Tip Line: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or https://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST. These resources are available 24/7.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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