Andrew Blake Delacruz, Child Exploitation, Texas 2020

HOUSTON – A despicable act of child exploitation has left a Baytown man with a prison sentence of 720 months, or 60 years, as reported by the Grimy Times.

Andrew Blake Delacruz, 30, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children as well as possession and distribution of child pornography on May 6. He was subsequently sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett.

Delacruz’s egregious conduct involved the victimization of three minors, including a 9-year-old girl who reported being sexually abused by him. The child pornography collection found on his cellphones included 41 images and 7 videos of the victim, as well as 6 images of her friend. Delacruz was also found to have 50 videos and 7 images of other child pornography in his collection.

The FBI conducted the investigation, which was part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section lead PSC, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims.

Delacruz has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ann Leo and Luis Batarse prosecuted the case.

According to the investigation, Delacruz came to the attention of law enforcement after he sent images of child pornography of a minor female relative through an online chat group dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children. On July 17, 2020, authorities executed a search warrant at his residence and seized his cellphones, which led to the discovery of the child pornography collection.

Delacruz’s victim statements explained how he detrimentally impacted their lives and were seeking justice. In handing down the sentence, Judge Bennett noted Delacruz’s egregious conduct and the detrimental impact on the victims. The court heard victim statements, including one from the 9-year-old girl who reported being sexually abused by Delacruz.

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