Judge gavel, scales of justice and law books in court. (Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
MCALLEN, Texas - A Mexican man who lived in McAllen, Texas, will spend 10 years in federal prison for receiving child sexual abuse material involving toddlers and infants, prosecutors said.
Jose Julian Garcia Garza, 36, pleaded guilty on April 2. At a sentencing hearing, Garza was sentenced to 120 months in prison, ordered to pay $104,000 and will be on supervised released after his prison sentence.
What we know:
Prosecutors said Garza used a virtual private network in an attempt to hide his downloads and likely used child sex dolls to recreate the videos he was downloading.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei said Garza will likely face removal from the United States after his prison term since he is not a citizen.
What they're saying:
"The facts underlying this investigation are as telling as they are disturbing," said Ganjei. "By all accounts, Garza appears to be the kind of person who would not be satisfied by only passively viewing CSAM. Fortunately, law enforcement was able to locate and arrest Garza before he could start physically preying on children."
Investigation yields nearly 1,000 images and videos
The backstory:
Law enforcement discovered Garza had been using a peer-topeer file sharing program to download and upload child sexual abuse materials which included videos of toddlers and infants.
When authorities searched Garza's home, they found the bottom portion of an infant-sized doll and two child-sized, lifelike sex dolls and various sex toys, prosecutors said.
Investigators said a search of Garza's computer hard drive resulted in the discovery of 997 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
What's next:
Garza will remain in custody until he is transferred to a federal prison.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the U.S. Department of Justice.