ALBUQUERQUE—Antonio Gallegos, 48, of Albuquerque, New
Mexico, was sentenced this afternoon to 188 months in federal prison,
followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for his conviction for
distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography. Gallegos
will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his
prison sentence. Gallegos also was ordered to pay $500 in restitution to
the victim whose image was at issue in his crime of conviction.
Gallegos’ sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales; Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI; and Chief Robert W. Shilling of the New Mexico State Police (NMSP).
Gallegos was arrested in April 2012 on a criminal complaint charging him with distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography, and he has been in federal custody since that time. In May 2012, Gallegos was indicted and charged with one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography; three counts of receipt of child pornography; and one count of possession of child pornography. In July 2012, Gallegos entered a guilty plea to count one of the indictment charging him with distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography.
In entering his guilty plea, Gallegos admitted that from August 2011 through March 2012, he knowingly distributed and attempted to distribute child pornography through a peer-to-peer filing sharing program. Gallegos acknowledged that investigators with the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a search warrant at his residence in March 2012 and seized computers and computer-related media containing child pornography. The search warrant was based on a NMSP investigation that began in September 2011 and monitored Internet protocol (IP) addresses that appeared to be used to distribute, receive, and possess child pornography. IP addresses that were subscribed to Gallegos at his residence on the west side of Albuquerque were amongst the IP addresses identified by the investigation.
Gallegos also acknowledged that a forensic examination of his computer and computer-related media revealed thousands of images and videos of child pornography. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children determined that the child pornography images and videos found on Gallegos’ computers and computer-related media include 20 images of 15 children who have been identified as child pornography victims and have been rescued.
The case against Gallegos was investigated by the FBI, the NMSP, and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlyn E. Rees. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 64 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies associated with the ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Gallegos’ sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales; Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI; and Chief Robert W. Shilling of the New Mexico State Police (NMSP).
Gallegos was arrested in April 2012 on a criminal complaint charging him with distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography, and he has been in federal custody since that time. In May 2012, Gallegos was indicted and charged with one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography; three counts of receipt of child pornography; and one count of possession of child pornography. In July 2012, Gallegos entered a guilty plea to count one of the indictment charging him with distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography.
In entering his guilty plea, Gallegos admitted that from August 2011 through March 2012, he knowingly distributed and attempted to distribute child pornography through a peer-to-peer filing sharing program. Gallegos acknowledged that investigators with the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a search warrant at his residence in March 2012 and seized computers and computer-related media containing child pornography. The search warrant was based on a NMSP investigation that began in September 2011 and monitored Internet protocol (IP) addresses that appeared to be used to distribute, receive, and possess child pornography. IP addresses that were subscribed to Gallegos at his residence on the west side of Albuquerque were amongst the IP addresses identified by the investigation.
Gallegos also acknowledged that a forensic examination of his computer and computer-related media revealed thousands of images and videos of child pornography. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children determined that the child pornography images and videos found on Gallegos’ computers and computer-related media include 20 images of 15 children who have been identified as child pornography victims and have been rescued.
The case against Gallegos was investigated by the FBI, the NMSP, and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlyn E. Rees. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 64 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies associated with the ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
No comments:
Post a Comment