Laredoan sent to prison for producing child pornography of sexual abuse of minor relative

LAREDO, Texas – A 26-year-old man has been ordered to prison for production and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Aaron Negrete pleaded guilty March 7, 2023.

U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now sentenced Negrete to 225 and months for the production and possession of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 225-month-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information including testimony from the minor victim’s mother, detailing the impact of Negrete’s actions. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted severity of the his crimes. Negrete was further ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to known victims of the child pornography possessed and will serve five years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Negrete will also be ordered to register

“The homes of relatives are supposed to be safe places, especially for kids, but Aaron Negrete used his residence to harm his relative numerous times, committing the most heinous acts one can perpetrate on another, let alone a child," said Hamdani. "He filmed himself molesting the minor then shared the videos and images on the internet, extending the child’s victimization into perpetuity. Our hope is this significant sentence can give the victim some peace knowing Negrete is not lurking in anyone’s home, but instead behind bars for nearly 20 years to come.”

“The Aaron Negrete sentence today sets the tone for how we will handle child predators in our state,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “If you harm a child, we will investigate you, we will arrest you, and we will bring the full weight of the law against you. HSI urges our South Texas community to remain vigilant against child predators and to immediately report suspected cases of child exploitation to HSI.”

The investigation began when authorities learned an IP address associated with Negrete had uploaded child pornography online.  

On Oct. 12, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home. At that time, they found and seized several electronic devices which contained child pornography and took Negrete into custody. He ultimately admitted to downloading an application he used to search for child pornography which included abuse of babies and toddlers.

The investigation further revealed he had sexually abused a minor relative. He recorded himself doing so and shared the recordings and photographs online. The child had visited Negrete and stayed at his residence in Laredo. On more than 50 instances, Negrete forced the victim to rub his genitals and took naked pictures, among other things. The minor was told to keep it a secret to prevent “something bad” from happening.

Negrete will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department as part of the Child Exploitation Task Force which also includes FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Marshals Service and United Independent School District Police.

 Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.