Texas Man Sentenced To 60 Months In Prison For Receiving And Distributing Child Pornography

LAFAYETTE, La. –United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that Juan Carlos Curiel, 22, Missouri City, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth E. Foote for conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography.  Curiel is also required to complete five years of supervised release and register as a sex offender.  Curiel pleaded guilty on April 12, 2012.
                                                                                                           
 According to the evidence presented at the guilty plea, after obtaining a warrant, authorities searched an email account Curiel used. Authorities discovered the email account contained 30 images or videos of child pornography. A search of Curiel’s home Oct. 5, 2011 turned up over 100 videos and images of child pornography on laptops, a desktop computer and other computer storage devices.  Curiel admitted that he downloaded many of the images on the computers using an online file-sharing program.
                                                                       
“The defendant’s actions furthered the spread of child pornography and promoted the abuse of the children used to produce it,” Finley said.  “Hopefully, this case demonstrates that child predators will be brought to justice.  We will continue to prosecute these cases. The safety of the children in this community is a priority for the Western District.”

 The U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Luke Walker and Howard C. Parker prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice launched nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

 The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) DHS-2ICE.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.  The Lafayette FBI office number is (337) 233-2164.