Valentine Cancino, Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material, Texas 2024

Corpus Christi Man Receives 27-Year Sentence for Child Sex Abuse

A 35-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for production of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Valentine Cancino pleaded guilty on February 20. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now sentenced Cancino to 324 months in federal prison.

The court heard that Cancino was actually sexually abusing the minor as authorities knocked on the door to serve the search warrant in the case. In handing down the prison term, the court noted the serious facts and circumstances which supported the sentence imposed.

Cancino will also serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designated to restrict his access to children and the internet. Cancino will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

The investigation into Cancino began when authorities received multiple cyber-tips indicating CSAM had been uploaded onto the internet. Law enforcement was able to identify Cancino as the source of the content.

On January 30, 2024, authorities obtained a search warrant for Cancino’s residence in Corpus Christi. They located and seized two electronic devices. One of those devices was a Samsung Galaxy cell phone. Upon inspection, authorities discovered a video recording Cancino made of himself engaging in sexual activity with a minor relative.

“There is hardly a sentence available that can fully account for the depravity of the defendant’s conduct, but the 27-year sentence he received here will have to do,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District is working tirelessly to identify and apprehend predators like Mr. Cancino before they can exploit others.”

“Despite overseeing criminal investigations for thousands of child exploitation-related cases in my 30-year career, they never get easier, but Homeland Security Investigations’ efforts to expose these heinous predators and prevent them from harming any more innocent children have expanded greatly since I first started,” said HSI – Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “It’s thanks to those partnerships with fellow law enforcement agencies like the Corpus Christi Police Department and groups like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that we are able to quickly identify dangerous predators like Mr. Cancino who are hiding in plain sight in the local community and hold them accountable.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – HSI and CCPD conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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