San Antonio Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court to 200 months in prison for one count of distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, Gianni Versace Del Prado, 28, was identified as using both Telegram and X (formerly known as Twitter) to distribute child sexual abuse material. He created a chat room on Nov. 28, 2022 dedicated to the distribution of child pornography and discussions about the sexual abuse of children and between Dec. 1 2022 and April 30, 2023, posted approximately 81 files depicting the sexual abuse of children. On April 30, 2023, he sent 93 child pornography files directly to an undercover FBI employee engaged in an investigation to identify individuals who were sexually exploiting children.

On June 6, 2023, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at Del Prado’s residence and seized electronic devices. He was arrested the following day and pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography on May 29, 2024. Following the 200 months in federal prison, Del Prado will serve 25 years supervised release. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam also ordered Del Prado to pay two victims $5,000 each in restitution.

“This sentence serves as both punishment for Del Prado’s crimes committed against children and as a deterrent for anyone else considering engaging in the trafficking of child sexual abuse material,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “This office will continue to prioritize and prosecute individuals like this defendant, and I thank our partners at the FBI for their integral investigative work on these cases.”

“Protecting children is a top priority for the FBI. Every member of our communities—and especially our children—deserve to feel safe from predators like Del Prado,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work and partnership in seeking justice on behalf of the victims in this case.”

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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