Labib Chammas, Child Pornography, Texas 2023

Related Federal Cases

Table of Contents

Texas Man Sent Obscene Material to Minor

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Marcus Moreno, a 27-year-old man from LaVilla, Texas, has admitted to sending obscene pictures to a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.

Moreno pleaded guilty to one count of ‘Transfer of Obscenity to Minor.’ The crime began when Moreno began communicating with a minor located in Berkeley County, West Virginia, via social media applications such as Snapchat, KIK, WhatsApp, and the minor’s school email accounts.

The victim’s parents turned over her phone to investigators, who discovered thousands of text messages, chats, and video communications between the victim and Moreno, dating from October 2018 to January 2019, when the victim was just 15 years old.

The investigation further revealed thousands of images of child pornography of the victim and obscene pornographic images of Moreno. In a disturbing revelation, Moreno told investigators he planned to marry the victim when she turned 18.

During the execution of a search warrant, Moreno gave a voluntary statement to agents, saying he met the victim online in a chat room when she had just turned 14. He admitted to sending obscene images of himself to the victim.

The FBI found thousands of other graphic files and video files of the victim on several flash drives and devices during the search of Moreno’s home.

Moreno faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley D. Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the West Virginia State Police investigated, with U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presiding.