El Paso Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Possession And Distribution Of Child Pornography

El Paso resident Gustavo Cervantes-Perez, age 26, will serve ten years in federal prison for possession and distribution of child pornography announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Dennis A. Ulrich, El Paso.

In addition to the prison term handed down today, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered that Cervantes-Perez pay a $1,500 fine and be placed under supervised release for a period of five years after completing his prison term.

On September 11, 2013, a jury convicted Cervantes-Perez of two counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of receipt/distribution of child pornography.  Evidence presented during trial revealed that the defendant used a peer-to-peer program to search for and acquire images/videos of child pornography beginning in approximately April 2006. Following the execution of a search warrant on January 6, 2012, at the defendant’s residence, HSI agents forensically discovered 156 videos depicting child pornography on Cervantes-Perez’s computer.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert Almonte, II, and former Assistant United States Attorney J. Brandy Gardes prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.