Michael Martinez Gets 10 Years for Sextortion, Child Porn

Del Rio’s Michael Martinez, 27, is headed to federal prison for a decade after admitting to a vicious online campaign of sextortion and cyberstalking that targeted multiple women — including a minor. Sentenced yesterday to 120 months behind bars, Martinez will also pay a $2,000 fine and face five years of supervised release once he walks out of prison.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses, stems from a pattern of predatory behavior that ran from October 2013 to August 2014. Using fake Facebook profiles, email accounts, and relentless text messages, Martinez terrorized his victims, threatening to leak nude photos to their families and friends unless they sent more explicit images. One victim, a minor, complied under duress — a crime that federal prosecutors refused to let slide.

Martinez pleaded guilty in April 2016 to two counts of cyberstalking and one count of receipt of child pornography. By his own admission, he stored dozens of sexually explicit images of the underage girl on multiple electronic devices — evidence that would later be seized by FBI agents during a raid on his Del Rio residence on August 21, 2014.

That raid uncovered computers, storage drives, and his cell phone, all packed with digital contraband. Forensic analysis confirmed approximately a dozen images of the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The trail of digital breadcrumbs left by Martinez sealed his fate, painting a damning portrait of a predator hiding behind screens and fake identities.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ralph Paradiso and investigated by the FBI’s San Antonio Division. Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs emphasized the bureau’s commitment to dismantling online networks that exploit children: “This sentencing sends a message — we’re watching, we’re tracing, and we’re arresting.”

Martinez has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 13, 2015. His prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department’s nationwide push to combat child sexual exploitation. For more on the initiative, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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