Edinburg man sentenced to 11 years in prison for distributing child porn

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An Edinburg man has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography depicting prepubescent minors, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced Wednesday.

Ryant Rodriguez, 27, pleaded guilty March 9, 2022.

"During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet," the announcement read. "He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender."

Rodriguez distributed multiple images and videos of child pornography on a social media group chat which he was a member of. The chat was dedicated to the trade and exchange of child pornography.

An investigation revealed he was also in possession of approximately 963 pornographic images depicting children between the age of 5 to 10 on his phone at the time of his arrest.

He is sentenced to 11 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

Rodriguez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.