Katy Man Sentenced to 11+ Years for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material
HOUSTON, Texas — A 27-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison after admitting to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material through online chat rooms and file-sharing platforms.
Daniel Berrones, 27, of Katy, TX, was sentenced to 136 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks after pleading guilty August 27 to distribution and possession of child pornography.
Berrones was also ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution to known victims and serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Investigation Traced Illegal Material to Online Chat Rooms
The investigation began February 7, 2020, when authorities discovered child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being shared through the Mega file-sharing application.
Investigators traced the activity to a blog that provided users with access to the illegal content.
Law enforcement subsequently identified an email account belonging to Berrones that was being used to distribute CSAM in an online chat group.
During the investigation, authorities executed a search warrant at Berrones’ residence and examined his electronic devices.
Investigators recovered approximately 22 videos and 167 images containing child sexual abuse material.
Berrones Admitted Using Discord to Access Illegal Content
According to federal prosecutors, Berrones admitted accessing links containing CSAM through Discord, an online messaging platform.
He also acknowledged using the internet to distribute and store the illegal material.
Berrones admitted saving images and videos, some of which depicted toddlers.
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard additional testimony describing how Berrones used online chat rooms solely to share child sexual abuse material.
Federal Judge Orders Prison Sentence and Restitution
Judge Hanks sentenced Berrones to 136 months in federal prison, equivalent to 11 years and four months.
In addition to the prison term, Berrones must pay $25,000 in restitution to identified victims.
Following his release from prison, he will serve five years of supervised release.
During that period, Berrones must comply with restrictions designed to limit his access to children and the internet.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Berrones remains in federal custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
