Richlands Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Production of Child Pornography

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Richlands man was sentenced today to 360 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for production of child pornography.  Additionally, $74,000 in restitution was ordered to nine victims and he was fined $5000.  On September 17, 2024, Albert Suniga, age 37, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Suniga was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after receiving two cybertips related in which Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children one of its users had uploaded nine images and videos of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM), to their Google Drive account.  Agents with HSI obtained the internet protocol (IP) address associated with the Google Drive account and then obtained search warrants for the email accounts associated with the IP address and determined they belonged to Suniga.

The search of Suniga’s email resulted in the discovery of several images and videos of a minor victim that appeared to have been produced by Suniga. Believing a child to be in imminent danger, agents executed a search warrant at the residence associated with the IP address, which was also Suniga’s residence.  When questioned by agents, Suniga admitted to taking images constituting child sexual abuse images of a child in his residence, as well as possessing images of child sexual abuse unrelated to that child.  A digital forensic examination of his email account and his digital devices revealed numerous images and videos.

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Bureau of Investigation and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:24-CR-00008-M.

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