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A 32-year-old Edcouch man was sentenced to prison after it was discovered he purchased links to child pornography that he downloaded, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Servando Diaz was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release and is ordered to register as a sex offender. Diaz pleaded guilty on March 19.
The court heard from Diaz, who admitted to the crime, during the sentencing hearing.
“In addition, the court heard that his collection of child pornography included a wide range of content including videos that ranged in length, sadistic and masochistic files and bestiality,” the release said.
According to the release, Diaz downloaded child sex abuse material from links he purchased utilizing cryptocurrency from about Nov. 30, 2022 to Dec. 7, 2022.
An ongoing investigation into offenders engaging in a commercial sexual exploitation ring where child sexual abuse material was sold and paid for through cryptocurrency. Purchasers were provided a link to MEGA, a file hosting service.
Law enforcement were able to identify Diaz who purchased material directly from the commercial sexual exploitation ring through their transaction information using an open source database check, which resulted in the confirmation of the deposit address in Edcouch.
On Aug. 23, 2023 authorities interviewed Diaz who admitted to viewing, purchasing and downloading child pornography for about 10 years.
According to Diaz, he utilized various platforms including Telegram and MEGA to purchase links using cryptocurrency. Diaz paid around $50 to $150 via PayPal to gain access to a private group known to distribute child sexual abuse material on Telegram or Discord, a messaging platform.
A forensic search of Diaz’s digital devices yielded the discovery of 360 videos and 178 image files depicting child pornography, including prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Diaz is to remain in custody pending his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility which will be determined in the near future.
