23-Year-Old Donna resident sentenced to prison for child pornography offenses
Court gavel. (Photo by MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
DONNA, Texas - A 23-year-old Donna resident has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction for receiving and distributing child pornography.
What we know:
Miguel Angel Del Valle pleaded guilty on February 28 and was imposed a 108-month term of imprisonment.
The investigation began in July 2022 when Del Valle uploaded child sexual abuse material from his Google account. The images included minors between the ages of eight and 12 engaging in sexual activity with adults and/or other minors.
He admitted to downloading and distributing hundreds of files of child sexual abuse material using his Google account as well as communication apps such as, WhatsApp and Telegram, over an 18-month period beginning during COVID.
A forensic examination of Del Valle’s cellphone and laptop revealed 124 videos and 31 images of the material. One of the videos depicted an adult male sexually abusing a toddler.
Dig deeper:
Del Valle was ordered to serve five years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet.
Del Valle will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
What they're saying:
The court noted that this type of offense is one of the most serious federal crimes that can be committed.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane told Del Valle that if people like him didn’t download child pornography, then there wouldn’t be production of it and the victimization of children.
"There is no place in our community for people like Mr. Del Valle," said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
"This conviction and sentence is the latest example of how the Southern District of Texas will do whatever it takes to protect children and hold offenders accountable."
What's next:
Del Valle will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted 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.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Texas.