Hallettsville Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

VICTORIA, Texas – A 25-year-old Hallettsville man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Manuel Averill Amaro pleaded guilty July 7, 2015.

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey sentenced Amaro to 96 months in prison to be immediately followed by a 10-year-term of supervised release during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

On March 30, 2015, authorities began investigating Amaro for allegations involving the sexual exploitation of a child. During the course of the investigation, authorities conducted a search and seized Amaro’s two phones. A forensic examination of the phones led to the discovery of more than 600 images of children involved in sexual explicit conduct.

Amaro admitted to possessing the images. He also admitted to looking at child pornography since he was 14 years of age.

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

The charges against Amaro was the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Hallettsville Police Cyber Crimes Unit.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, 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 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."