Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court to 502 months in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Demetrio Ramirez, 34, produced and shared across social media 20 videos depicting himself and a prepubescent minor engaged in sexual conduct. The child sexual abuse material was identified on Feb. 15, 2023, through Operation Rescue Me, a joint operation by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Ramirez pleaded guilty without a plea agreement on Feb. 20 to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography. He was also ordered to forfeit his phone and any online accounts used to commit the offense. Restitution will be decided at a later date.
“Thanks to the vigilance of our FBI and the NCMEC, we were able to put an end to the repeated sexual abuse of a young child and lock up the offender for the next four decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Let us be clear. The sexual abuse and exploitation of children will not be tolerated. We will relentlessly pursue these cases and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”
“Demetrio Ramirez preyed on children, one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, and this sentence ensures he can’t hurt another child,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank our partners at the NCMEC and DOJ, through their Project Safe Childhood, for their continued assistance in keeping our communities safe from predators.”
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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