Victoria Man Gets Maximum Sentence For Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Jason Paul Tijerina, 30, of Victoria, has been ordered to prison for the sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Tijerina pleaded guilty in December 2014.

Today, U.S. Circuit Judge Gregg Costa, sitting by designation, sentenced Tijerina to the statutory maximum of 30 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by 25 years of supervised release. He must also register as a sex offender.

In January 2014, Victoria Police Department responded to Tijerina’s residence in reference to a sexual assault. The victim was identified and confirmed the abuse. Authorities conducted a search warrant and seized Tijerina’s cellular telephone from his residence which resulted in the discovery of 10 thumbnail files and one video of a child involved in sexually explicit conduct.

Tijerina has remained in custody since his arrest and will remain there pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The charges against Tijerina was the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and Victoria Police Department. 

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."