Illegal alien indicted for child sexual assault material offenses

LAREDO, Texas - A 28-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Laredo has been charged with possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Originally charged by criminal complaint Aug. 21, Alfredo Gutierrez-Cantu remains in custody pending further criminal proceedings. He is expected to make an appearance on the charges contained in the indictment in the near future before a U.S. magistrate judge in Laredo.

According to the charges, Gutierrez-Cantu came to the attention of law enforcement upon discovery of a Google account linked to a Laredo address containing child sexual assault material (CSAM). Gutierrez-Cantu was allegedly the owner of the Google account and resided at the location.

The charges allege he would visit group chats where weblinks directed him towards a site with approximately 500 CSAM files.

Authorities executed a search warrant and seized several electronic devices which allegedly contained several CSAM images and videos. One video depicted three minors engaged in sexual acts which he "forgot to delete" because he was too busy, according to the charges.

"The allegations, if true, demonstrate that the defendant is somebody who shouldn't be in our country, and definitely shouldn't be out walking the streets of our community," said Ganjei. "The Southern District of Texas won't pull any punches when it comes to border security or the investigation and apprehension of those who consume child sexual abuse materials."

If convicted, Gutierrez-Cantu faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Laredo Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew P. Hakala-Finch is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which 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 DOJ's PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.