Source: Office of United States Attorneys
EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 180 months in prison for possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material depicting a prepubescent minor.
According to court documents, a device belonging to Victor Enrique Artalejo, 60, was identified for downloading more than 3,000 torrent files between June 17, 2022 and Sept. 18, 2023, many of which contained child sexual abuse material. Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Artalejo’s residence on March 29, 2024, seizing a laptop and several other electronic devices. A forensic review revealed that Artalejo had downloaded and possessed 1,434 photos and 111 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The majority of the victims were determined to be under the age of 12.
Artalejo was arrested March 29, 2024 and has remained in federal custody. He pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2024 to one count of possession of a visual depiction involving the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of a visual depiction involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
HSI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Micaela Glass 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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