Migrant Who Illegally Overstayed Visa Gets 10 Years for Underage Porn

HOUSTON, Texas — A migrant who illegally overstayed an immigration visa received two ten-year prison sentences from a federal court for possession of child pornography. Federal investigators found pornographic images involving children as young a three-years-old on his computers.

A federal court in the Southern District of Texas handed down two ten-year prison sentences to Alberto Bernal Garcia, a 54-year-old Mexican national, for receiving and possessing child pornography. The judge ordered the sentences to run consecutively.

Prosecutors said computers in Garcia’s possession contained nearly 5,000 images and 800 videos of pornography involving children — some as young as three-years-old, according to information obtained from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.

Garcia pleaded guilty to the charges on April 16, officials stated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahra Jivani Fenelon led the prosecution after an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and law enforcement officers assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force uncovered 4,837 images of child pron on computers at Garcia’s place of employment, officials reported. In addition, investigators found 794 video recordings of the same nature. Officials said the porn included bestiality and sexual activity with prepubescent children — some as young a three-years-old. Investigators found the prohibited images on his personal computer and on external hard drives.

Officials said Garcia entered the U.S. legally in 1997 on a temporary visa. However, he never left the country when the visa expired. Officials did not say when the visa expired or if Garcia was legally allowed to work in the U.S. during his visa-covered period.

In addition to the ten-year prison sentence, Garcia must also pay $76,000 in restitution to the known victims of his crimes. At the completion of his prison term, he faces an additional five years of supervised release and will likely be placed in removal proceedings. He will not be allowed to have access to children or the internet, officials stated. Finally, he must register as a sex offender.