Laredo criminal convicted of sexual exploitation of pregnant minor

Texas Border Company

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United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas

LAREDO, Texas – A 30-year-old Laredo man has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.

On April 5, police encountered Luis Andres Serna after he picked up an illegal non-citizen in downtown Laredo and took him to an apartment complex. At the time, a 16-year-old pregnant minor was also his passenger.

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Later that day, authorities discovered 37 undocumented immigrants and approximately 2,400 pounds of marijuana in several apartments linked to Serna and others, ultimately leading to his arrest for drug trafficking and conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants.

While in federal custody on the pending charges, he gained access to a tablet video system and contacted the same pregnant girl. The investigation revealed that Serna gave the minor’s name and phone number to initiate video calls, but did not disclose that she was a minor.

The facility’s communications system automatically records both parties’ displays during each video call. Law enforcement has reviewed hundreds of phone calls and tablet video visits that Serna initiated during her detention.

The investigation revealed that he had regular video contact with the minor victim.

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On June 24, 2022, he made her perform sexual acts while he watched. The minor victim used her personal cell phone to record herself performing the acts and played the video for Serna over several days.

“Protecting our children from sexual predators is one of the most sacred responsibilities of my office,” Hamdani said. “Serna is a particularly reprehensible predator — a human trafficker and drug trafficker who exploited a pregnant child for his own sexual gratification and added the label of ‘child pornographer’ to his resume of crimes. This prosecution and conviction will help ensure that Serna can no longer victimize the citizens of Laredo, especially its children.”

Serna later also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to transport people.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña accepted the request and will impose a sentence at a later date. At that time, Serna faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000 for the sexual exploitation conviction, as well as up to 10 years and up to life in prison for the alien smuggling and drug trafficking charges.

Serna is in custody and will remain in custody awaiting her sentence.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol and other private companies.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) Homero Ramirez and Michael Makens are prosecuting the case, assisted by Special AUSA Terence A. Check Jr. and former AUSA April Ayers-Perez, 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. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Abuse 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 23, 2024

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