Paz Gomez-Magdaleno, Child Exploitation, Texas 2024

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A notorious child predator has been ordered to prison for his heinous crimes. Paz Gomez-Magdaleno, a 43-year-old man, has been sentenced to 60, 120, and 240 months in prison for the transportation of undocumented aliens, possession of child pornography, and enticement of a minor convictions, respectively.

Gomez-Magdaleno pleaded guilty on March 1. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos handed down the sentence after hearing the shocking details of Gomez-Magdaleno’s crimes. It was revealed that he had child pornography of relatives and minors from the local community, obtained images of child pornography from minors over the internet through various social media apps, and sought out minors to send him explicit photos and videos in exchange for money and gifts.

The investigation began on January 28, 2021, when Gomez-Magdaleno drove his tractor-trailer to the primary inspection lane at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita. A K-9 alerted authorities to the presence of potential individuals concealed inside the trailer, leading to the discovery of 20 undocumented aliens and two cell phones containing images and videos of child pornography.

Gomez-Magdaleno will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims, the amount of which will be determined at a later date.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Border Patrol and Cameron County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and John Marck prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Paz Gomez-Magdaleno will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. His case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of protecting our children from predators like Gomez-Magdaleno, and the tireless efforts of law enforcement and prosecutors to bring them to justice.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit the DOJ’s PSC page.

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