McAllen man convicted of receiving images of child pornography

Texas Border Company

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McALLEN, Texas – A 27-year-old man from the region has been convicted of receiving images and video files containing child pornography, US Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.

Gabriel Alejandro Morales pleaded guilty on March 22, 2023.

U.S. District Judge Crane has now ordered Morales to serve 120 months in federal prison. During the hearing, the court heard additional information that Morales not only received child pornography, but was also involved in the distribution of child pornography. In imposing the prison sentence, the court noted that consuming child pornography increases demand, often leading to the production of more child pornography. Morales was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve five years of supervised release following the completion of his prison sentence. During that time, he will be required to comply with numerous requirements designed to limit his access to children and the internet. Morales will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

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In January 2022, law enforcement learned of a group chat on a third-party messaging application that was identified as sharing child pornography. Morales had engaged in receiving and distributing approximately nine videos of child pornography on that site.

Morales admitted to using the third-party messaging application on his cell phone to receive and distribute child pornography. He further admitted to possessing additional child pornography on other electronic devices.

The images contained sadistic/masochistic content and the depiction of prepubescent children performing sexual acts. Ultimately, authorities found a total of 77 video files containing child abuse material, an additional 52 video files, and 11 images that could be attributed to Morales.

Morales will remain in custody until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.

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The FBI conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cahal P. McColgan and Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice (DOJ) 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 lead PSC, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, visit the DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about Internet safety education, visit the resources link on that page.

Updated on September 19, 2024

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