This week U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra sentenced 36-year-old Jason Lee Villasana, a former police officer from Sabinal, Texas, to 15 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography and possessing an unregistered firearm. Villasana was also ordered to ten years of subsequent supervised release, according to an FBI press release.
A criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas states that an investigation into Villasana was launched after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) noticed 29 child pornography images associated with an email account registered under the name “jane smith.” NCMEC immediately alerted officers at the Texas Attorney General’s Law Division, who were able to link the email’s IP address to Villasana, according to court records.
Sergeant Blane Rogers of the Attorney General’s Law Division obtained a warrant to search Villasana’s email account on November 12, 2012–finding more than 1,500 child pornography files, according to records.
Three days later, on November 15, officers obtained a warrant to search Villasana’s residence in Sabinal. The criminal complaint states, “Pursuant to the search warrant, the investigators located a hole in the wall between an outside storage building and a bathroom. The search team successfully reproduced images and videos which were located on the NCMEC report and on the email account.”
Court records state that Villsana had been storing and sending images and videos of children engaging in sexual activity since May 2011.
Special Agent in Charge Janice Ayala of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio said, “This investigation resulted from the joint efforts of HSI, FBI and the Sabinal Police Department. This 15-year sentence sends a clear message that those who sexually exploit children will face serious consequences. Preventing and investigating crimes against children is a high priority for HSI. We will continue to dedicate law enforcement resources to identify and bring to justice child predators who traumatize and victimize children.”
FBI reports state that its agents worked together with HSI and the Texas Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Division.
Villasana Complaint by BreitbartTexas
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.