Evergreen Reporter

A man from Del Rio, Texas, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. Court documents revealed that Hector Sanchez, 33, contacted a 13-year-old girl through his Facebook account in October 2020, urging her to send explicit photos. He later met the child near her home and sent her explicit content of himself.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the case on November 23, 2020. Following an interview with the victim, Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography on July 21, 2023.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman commented on the case saying, “Sanchez knowingly and deliberately befriended a minor over social media with full intent to develop a discreet sexual relationship with her. I am very grateful for the involvement of NCMEC and our law enforcement partners in this case. Because of the systems and processes available to us and our capabilities to investigate and prosecute crimes against children, Sanchez will spend the next three decades paying for his actions in federal prison.”

ICE HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig S. Larrabee stated, “This lengthy sentence is a testament to the disgusting nature of child exploitation crimes, particularly the production of child pornography. HSI agents make it a priority to protect vulnerable children from victimization by working with their law enforcement partners to investigate predators involved with the possession and distribution of child pornography and ensure they are held accountable for their actions.”

The case, investigated by HSI, was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley. It was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006.