An Amarillo man who posed as a 14-year-old boy to obtain explicit images of a younger girl was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday, the court announced. the federal tax attorney for the North Texas District, Leigha Simonton.
Following his indictment in December, Willie Gonzales pleaded guilty to production of child pornography in April. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk also ordered Gonzales to undergo life-long supervision once he is released from prison.
According to the deposition documents, in the fall of 2022, Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Public Safety executed a search warrant at Gonzales’ home, following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens. An iPhone was found containing explicit images of a 10-year-old girl.
A forensic analysis of the phone revealed that Gonzales had persuaded the girl to send him photos and videos of herself. Kacsmaryk noted in the ruling that On Snapchat, Gonzales had posed as a 14-year-old boysupposedly to attract the girl.
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Frausto prosecuted the case.
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