Lafayette Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison

HAMMOND – Angel J. Zanex, 37 years old, of Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Zanex was sentenced to 84 months in prison, five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $71,000 in restitution to the victims of the charged offense as well as victims of uncharged offenses.

According to documents in the case, on or about December 15, 2021, Zanex distributed child sexual abuse material by posting a video to an online platform.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) GRIT/Merrillville Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Milwaukee Field Office, the Winnebago County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office, the Indiana State Police Digital Forensic Unit, the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Tak Force (ICAC), the Tippecanoe County Hight Tech Crime Unit, and the Lafayette Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan and former Northern District of Indiana Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Chang and Jill Koster.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.