Chinese national sent to federal prison after bringing child sexual abuse material into the U.S.

McALLEN, Texas – A 19-year-old woman from China caught illegally entering the United States has been sentenced for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jinyi Zheng pleaded guilty June 2.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Zheng to serve 24 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings following her prison term. If not immediately removed from the United States after her imprisonment, she must also serve an additional 24 months on home confinement. Zheng will also be on supervised release for five years following the completion of her imprisonment, during which time she will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict her access to children and the internet. Zheng will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

On Feb. 12, authorities encountered Zheng near Hidalgo after she illegally enter the United States from Mexico. At that time, they located an Apple iPhone 14 belonging to her. A forensic examination of the phone revealed six videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

“This case shows why border security is so imperative,” said Ganjei. “Zheng is not the kind of person who we want walking around free in American communities, with the ability to prey on children. Fortunately, swift action by our law enforcement partners prevented this would-be predator from ever gaining access to our nation’s interior.”

Zheng has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.