Chinese woman sentenced to 2 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse video

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A woman from a poor, rural part of China was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday after federal agents found child pornography on her phone.

Jinyi Zheng illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Hidalgo in February.

When agents searched her phone, they found six videos that “met the federal definition of child pornography,” according to the criminal complaint filed against Zheng. One video showed a crying girl being sexually assaulted.

“I just want to say that I recognize that I was wrong,” Zheng said on Tuesday morning, when she appeared before a federal judge in McAllen for sentencing. “I should not have downloaded the videos.”

Border Patrol arrested Zheng on Feb. 12, when she crossed the border near Hidalgo. Zheng was just 18 years old.

After her arrest, Zheng allowed federal agents to search her phone. They discovered six videos that “met the federal definition of child pornography,” according to the criminal complaint.

Several videos showed teenagers engaged in sexual activity, said Zheng’s attorney, Yuan Li of Industry, California.

One video, however, showed a prepubescent girl crying and “attempting to cover her face,” while a man sexually assaulted her, according to the criminal complaint.

A grand jury charged Zheng with transportation of child pornography.

Faced with a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison, Zheng struck a deal with prosecutors.

Zheng pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, which doesn’t come with a mandatory minimum, and waived her right to appeal.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, agreed to drop the transportation charge.

Zheng returned to court Tuesday wearing gray sweatpants, a tan sweatshirt and white Nike tennis shoes.

“This is not a typical child pornography case,” Li said.

Zheng downloaded many of the videos, which showed teenagers engaged in sexual activity, when she was 15 years old, Li said.

She was raised in a poor, rural part of China, Li said, and didn’t fully understand the seriousness of downloading the videos.

“She grew up without her parents,” Li said.

In light of the circumstances, Li asked for a sentence of time served — the nearly six months Zheng had already spent in jail.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell, who prosecuted the case, requested four years and six months in prison.

Not all the videos showed teenagers, Parcell said, adding that one video showed the prepubescent girl being sexually assaulted.

Zheng also downloaded at least one video in 2024, when she was 17 or 18 years old.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane asked if Zheng would be deported after serving her sentence and, if so, where she planned to live.

Zheng said that she planned to stay with her grandparents on Pingtan, an island near Taiwan.

Parcell said the government would almost certainly attempt to deport Zheng, but it wasn’t clear whether China would accept her.

Guidelines published by the U.S. Sentencing Commission recommended 57 to 71 months in prison.

Crane settled on 24 months, given Zheng’s age, the limited number of videos and the fact she hadn’t participated in production or distribution.

An interpreter, who appeared in court via Zoom, explained the sentence to Zheng.

Crane also placed Zheng on supervised release for five years. If she isn’t deported, Zheng must spend the first two years of her supervised release in home detention.