Fidel Perales-Castillo, a 44-year-old Mexican citizen and former volunteer at New Visions Community Church in Laredo, Texas, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Perales-Castillo pleaded guilty on April 23, 2015, to the charges, which included possessing child pornography depicting children younger than 12 years of age.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed down the sentence, taking into consideration the fact that Perales-Castillo possessed child pornography depicting children younger than 12 years of age. The judge also ordered Perales-Castillo to pay $5,431.01 in restitution to a known victim and to register as a sex offender for 20 years following his release from prison.
Perales-Castillo was arrested after an undercover investigator encountered him in a peer-to-peer file sharing network where he had 10 files of suspected child pornography available for download. Five of those videos were successfully downloaded and found to contain child pornography.
The arrest was a result of Operation Child Guardian, a joint investigation launched by the Webb County Sheriff’s Office in 2009. The investigation has led to the arrest of dozens of suspected child predators.
Perales-Castillo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
As part of his sentence, Perales-Castillo will be subject to deportation following his prison term. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Ellison as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Related Federal Cases
- Shemar Cameron Green, Child Pornography, Texas 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Christopher Dale Harrison, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2013 · Arkansas
- Trevion Lechay Ethridge, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2014 · Arkansas
- Tracy Jay Chappell, Possession of Child Pornography, Texas 2013 · Illinois
- Matthew Anthony Keller, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2017 · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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