An individual identified as Juan Martin Sanchez-Suarez, a 24-year-old citizen of Mexico, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography involving a minor. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Axon imposed the sentence of 360 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sanchez-Suarez will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He was also ordered to pay a $3,000 special assessment according to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act. In November, Sanchez-Suarez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
According to court documents, Sanchez-Suarez filmed himself engaging in a sexual act with a 12-year-old girl without her knowledge and later sent the video to her. He was aware of her age and told her that if neither spoke about it, they would not get into trouble.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Lipscomb Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
“If you believe someone is the victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact the Know2Protect tip line at 1-833-591-KNOW. All information received via the tipline will be reviewed by appropriate personnel and referred to HSI field offices for potential investigation. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.”
“ICE takes very seriously its obligation to enforce our nation’s immigration and customs laws, and employs practices that are intended to accomplish this in a fair, efficient, and professional manner. If you have information, you may call our public tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (866-347-2423). For further information related to ICE, please visit our website at www.ice.gov.”
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources through U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and other agencies.
For more details on Project Safe Childhood: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
