San Antonio, TX – In a disturbing case of online exploitation, a federal judge has handed down a 12-year prison sentence to 24-year-old Paul Martinez for his role in distributing child pornography.
Martinez, a San Antonio resident, pleaded guilty to the charge in October of last year after admitting to exchanging child pornography over the internet in January 2016.
According to court documents, federal authorities executed a search warrant at Martinez’s residence in September 2016, seizing his desktop and laptop computers as well as his cellular telephone. A forensic examination of the seized devices revealed numerous video and image files depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The FBI investigated this case, with Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuting on behalf of the government.
As part of the sentence, Senior United States District Judge David A. Ezra also ordered Martinez to pay $5,000 restitution to any identified victim and be placed under supervised release for a period of five years after completing his prison term.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Jason Lewis Schwamberger, Possession of Child Pornography, Baltimor… · Alabama
- John Whittenburg, Child Pornography Collection, ME, 2023 · Maine
- Tommie Joseph Beason, Possession of Child Pornography, Lafayette LA… · Texas
- Jason Ryan Bickham, Child Pornography, Beaumont TX, 2014 · Washington
- Trevion Lechay Ethridge, Producing Child Pornography, Beaumont TX, … · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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