Infants raped. Videos uploaded. A Killeen couple, Christopher Almaguer, 27, and Sarah Rashelle Almaguer, 27, were each sentenced today to 60 years in federal prison for producing child pornography and sexually assaulting children as young as eight months old. U.S. Attorney John F. Bash called it the most significant case of his tenure, branding the Almaguers ‘two of the most wicked criminals in Texas history.’
The couple pleaded guilty on October 30, 2018, to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of production of child pornography. They admitted to uploading explicit videos of themselves sexually assaulting minors—some barely more than babies. Investigators compiled a list of approximately 25 child victims, ranging from infants to 14-year-olds, most from the Central Texas area. Many were children from their neighborhood, church, or ones they babysat.
U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright handed down the maximum sentences, also ordering each defendant to pay $10,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Fund and to serve lifetime supervised release upon any future release. The evidence, including digital files shared online, painted a picture of systematic, sadistic abuse fueled by a desire to record and distribute the torture of defenseless children.
Adding to the horror, Christopher Almaguer’s brother, Paul Perez, Jr., 25, of Killeen, was sentenced this same morning to 20 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release. Perez pleaded guilty on September 25, 2018, to two counts of receipt of child pornography. He admitted to receiving and viewing videos and images of the abused children, provided directly by the Almaguers.
The case began in February 2018 when Facebook flagged a user uploading suspected child sexual abuse material and sent a Cybertip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). That alert triggered a joint investigation by the Texas Office of the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit, U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office, Killeen Police Department, and Temple Police Department. All three defendants have been in custody since their arrests in February and March 2018.
‘The Secret Service will continue to work closely with our network of law enforcement partners to bring those who commit crimes against children to justice,’ said Special Agent in Charge William Noonan. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton added, ‘The detestable people who perpetuate such horrific crimes against children must be held accountable.’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory S. Gloff prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative targeting child predators.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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