Moses Lake Man Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison For Distribution of Child Pornography

Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Santiago Velasquez Martinez, age 30, of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced on October 2, 2013, after having previously pleaded guilty on July 2, 2013, to Distribution of Child Pornography. Chief United States District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Martinez to a five year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison.

According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, in August of 2012, the United States Secret Service conducted an online undercover investigation to identity those possessing and distributing child pornography on the Internet using peer to peer file sharing software. As a result of the investigation, on October 30, 2012, the USSS executed a search warrant at Martinez's residence and located his laptop computer that was found to contain 249 videos and 54 still images of child pornography. Some of the videos depicted minors in bondage, and a number of the child pornography images were of children under the age of 12 years.

Michael C. Ormsby stated, "The United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. Prosecuting offenders who are not only collecting child pornography, but also distributing child pornography to others is a priority of the United States Attorney's Office."

This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative ("PSC") has five major components:

• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue child victims;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources".

This investigation was conducted the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.

CR-12-0122-RMP