Brownsville, Texas: U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery of the Southern District of Texas announced on Wednesday, December 8 that 38-year-old Jose Alfredo Fernandez-Martinez had been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
On August 4 Fernandez-Martinez pleaded guilty to a charge of producing child pornography.
Breitbart reports that the case against Fernandez-Martinez, a resident of Matamoros and a former Mexican police officer, began in January when he walked across one of the bridges into Brownsville, Texas.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer sent Fernandez-Martinez to a secondary inspection where an officer reviewed his Alcatel cell phone. On that phone, images and videos were discovered which showed Fernandez-Martinez sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl.
According to the Department of Justice, the abuse took place between August 2, 2020 and January 6, 2021. The forensic analysis of his cell phone revealed a total of approximately 141 videos and 82 images of child sexual abuse.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera Jr. sentenced Fernandez-Martinez to 30 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release during which time he will be required to comply with certain restrictions intended to limit his access to both children and the internet.
Fernandez-Martinez will additionally be required to register as a sex offender and pay a total of $55,000 in "special assessments."