Marfa Youth Softball Coach Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

ALPINE, Texas – A Marfa man pleaded guilty in a federal court in Alpine today to possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography, aiding and abetting.

According to the affidavit in a criminal complaint, which was filed in May, Patricio Javier Serrano, 36, was in possession of multiple photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse material stored on his cell phone and in his phone’s web browser.

Serrano pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography, aiding and abetting and one count of possession of child pornography. He faces no less than five and up to 20 years in prison for the transportation charge, and up to 20 years in prison for the possession charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Marfa Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Greenbaum and Kevin Cayton are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

###