U.S. Department
of Justice
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An illegal alien has been sentenced for producing child pornography involving a minor victim, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Axon sentenced Juan Martin Sanchez-Suarez, 24, a citizen of Mexico, to 360 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. This conviction will require Sanchez-Suarez to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). As part of his sentence, Sanchez-Suarez was ordered to pay a $3,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act. In November, Sanchez-Suarez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement, Sanchez-Suarez filmed himself engaging in a sex act with a 12-year-old female child. Sanchez-Suarez created the video without the child’s knowledge. He later sent the video to the child. Sanchez-Suarez was aware of the child’s age and told her that as long as neither of them told anyone, they would not get in trouble.
The Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Lipscomb Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
If you believe someone is the victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact the Know2Protect tip line at 1-833-591-KNOW. All information received via the tipline will be reviewed by appropriate personnel and referred to HSI field offices for potential investigation. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
ICE takes very seriously its obligation to enforce our nation’s immigration and customs laws, and employs practices that are intended to accomplish this in a fair, efficient, and professional manner. If you have information, you may call our public tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (866-347-2423). For further information related to ICE, please visit our website at www.ice.gov.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 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 and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit