Eagle Pass Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Gerardo Sanchez Jr. , a 30-year-old man from Eagle Pass, Texas, has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Del Rio to producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The U.

S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced the plea, which could result in a prison sentence ranging from 15 to 30 years.

According to court documents, Sanchez, who was employed by GEO Secure Services LLC, engaged in a series of transactions involving minors. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) agents reviewed over 1,000 Cash App transactions linked to Sanchez between July 4, 2023, and December 21, 2023. These transactions varied from $1 to $11,000 each and were sent to more than 30 minor-sponsored accounts.

Comments attached to these payments included messages like "why did you block me?" and "I love you."

The investigation revealed that Sanchez communicated with high school-aged minor females across social media platforms, requesting sexually explicit videos in exchange for money. In one instance, Sanchez delivered flowers to a victim at her school. This victim estimated she received over $1,000 from Sanchez for sending videos and photos via Snapchat.

Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. The sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte and is part of Project Safe Childhood. This initiative, launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006, aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse by leveraging federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute offenders, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

ICE HSI is leading the investigation into Sanchez's activities. The sentencing date has not yet been announced.