Mexican national receives 8 years for possession of nearly 1,500 images of child sexual abuse material

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 35-year-old resident of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Apolonio Sanchez-Martinez pleaded guilty Sept. 18, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera considered information from victim impact statements and ordered Sanchez-Martinez to serve a 97-month-term of imprisonment. He was further ordered to pay $160,000 in restitution to known victims and will serve 15 years on supervised release to be served following the completion of his prison term. During that 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 Aug. 12, 2023, Sanchez-Martinez attempted to enter the United States through the Brownsville Gateway Port of Entry. Authorities referred him to secondary inspection where they located a cell phone. Forensic analysis of the device resulted in the discovery of 1,405 videos and 152 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

“There is zero tolerance for child sex abuse material in the United States, and those that attempt to bring CSAM into our country are going to face long prison stays,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will do everything we can to not only apprehend and punish producers of such images and videos, but also the consumers of such material—like the defendant here—who provide a market for the creation of CSAM.”

Sanchez-Martinez 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano prosecuted 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.