Texas 'child predator' convicted of new child porn charges, sentenced to life
Mark Martinez, 57 (Source: The Texas Public Sex Offender Website)
TEXAS - An Anthony, Texas, man previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years on Monday for producing, possessing and exchanging child sexual abuse material, violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and committing a sex offense as a registered sex offender.
Convicted felon sentenced to life in prison
The backstory:
Mark Martinez, 57, was found to be distributing child sexual abuse material within a group on the social messaging application Kik, according to court documents. Martinez was convicted in 1991 for the sexual assault of an 8-year-old child and, as of 2022, was living at an address unknown to his registration officer.
FBI agents executed a search warrant in August 2022 and seized several electronic devices containing child sexual abuse images and videos. One device contained multiple photos taken at Martinez's home in July 2022, showing a 5- or 6-year-old female. It also contained a folder of videos of another minor female downloaded from WhatsApp. A separate device revealed chats on Telegram where Martinez admitted to sexually molesting a minor.
Agents found approximately 2,391 child sexual abuse images and 138 videos on one device, several of which involved prepubescent minors. Martinez's cellphone contained about 50 more child sexual abuse images.
A criminal complaint and arrest warrant were issued for Martinez in October 2022. He had fled to Mexico without reporting to his registration officer and was arrested at the Columbus Port of Entry in New Mexico when he returned on March 3, 2023. A federal grand jury indicted Martinez on March 22, 2023, and he pleaded guilty to all five counts on Aug. 21, 2024.
What they're saying:
"Placing this child predator behind bars for the rest of his life makes certain this predator will never again harm another child," said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge John Morales stated, "Martinez is a dangerous sexual predator who preyed on our community’s most vulnerable victims — our children."
The FBI, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
The Source: Information in this article is from U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas.