Mexican national caught with child porn at Donna Port of Entry

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Mexican citizen has been sentenced for transporting child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Luis Alberto Hernandez-Venegas, 40, pleaded guilty on Nov. 30, 2023, and has been ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to serve eight years (97 months) in federal prison.

At the end of his prison term, Hernandez-Venegas will also serve five years of supervised release. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender and as a non-U.S. citizen. Hernandez-Venegas is expected to face removal proceedings, according to a news release.

The court heard additional evidence that Hernandez-Venegas knowingly joined a Telegram group well-known for distributing child pornography. From the Telegram chat, he possessed 25 videos of child pornography which equated to about 1,875 images.

Judge Crane noted that Hernandez helped to provide for a family in Mexico with the intent of engaging in a relationship with their teenage child.

On Sept. 26, 2023, Hernandez-Venegas attempted to cross into the United States from Mexico at the Donna Port of Entry. He was referred to a secondary inspection where a preliminary consensual search of his phone revealed images containing child pornography.

Law enforcement reviewed the contents of the phone and found multiple images, videos, and chat messages depicting child pornography.

Hernandez-Venegas admitted to communicating with male minors between the ages of 15 and 17. He also admitted to being in a relationship with a 15-year-old boy who resides in Mexico.

He said he knowingly and intentionally possessed, received, and viewed child pornography, according to the news release.

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