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Press Release

Martinez Resident Sentenced To 66 Months For Possession Of Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California

OAKLAND – Louis Cortez pleaded guilty and was sentenced late yesterday to five and a half years in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson.

Cortez pleaded guilty to possessing images and videos of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4).  He admitted to obtaining the images and videos by using a private peer to peer file sharing software.  The images and videos depicted minor and prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Cortez, 68, of Martinez, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 17, 2014.  He was charged with a single count of possession of child pornography.

Cortez was discovered when an FBI agent acting undercover obtained images and videos of child pornography from Cortez through the peer to peer file sharing software Cortez used.  Agents then traced the transmission of that material to Cortez’s residence and located hundreds of images and videos stored in various media devices in his home.

The sentence was handed down by The Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Judge, following Cortez’s guilty plea.  Judge Gonzalez Rogers also sentenced Cortez to an eight year period of supervised release and a variety of conditions he must meet upon his release, including not accessing the Internet without the prior approval of his probation officer, not frequenting or loitering within 100 feet of any location where children are likely to gather, and registering as a sex offender.  Cortez was immediately remanded into custody following the sentence being imposed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Green is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jeanne Carstensen and Janice Pagsanjan.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Updated March 16, 2015