PERUVIAN CITIZEN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR TRANSPORTING AND POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

(HOUSTON) – A Peruvian national convicted of transporting and possessing numerous compact and digital video disks into the United States upon arriving at Bush Intercontinental Airport aboard an international flight in September 2009 has been sentenced to prison, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

Peruvian citizen Luis Arturo Infante, 50, who pleaded guilty to the two felony offenses in February 2010, was sentenced today to 180 months imprisonment for the transporting child pornography conviction and the statutory maximum of 120 months for the possession of child pornography by United States District Court Judge Gray Miller. The prison terms are to be served concurrently. Additionally, Judge Miller ordered Infante to register as a sex offender and to pay $3,000 in restitution to each of the two victims who sought restitution.

Infante, who has been in custody since his September 2009 arrest, will remain in custody to serve his sentence and is subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. 

The charges and Infante’s subsequent convictions are the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations following the discovery of the compact and digital video disks in Infante’s luggage and personal effects by Customs and Border Protection officers during a customs inspection at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Infante arrived at the airport aboard an international flight from Lima, Peru.  

A forensic analysis of the disks resulted in the discovery of more than 23,000 images and more than 580 videos containing child pornography, some of which included victims under the age of 12 and portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reviewed the images and found known victims depicted in the images.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack.

 

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