Pharr resident charged with production of child sexual abuse material after attempting to exit U.S. into Mexico with minor

McALLEN, Texas - A 26-year-old Pharr resident has been charged with producing child pornography involving a 16-year-old minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Carlo Ivan Hurtado is expected to appear for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 11:15 a.m.

The criminal complaint, filed March 28, alleges Hurtado arrived at the Hidalgo Port of Entry with a 16-year-old female passenger attempting to exit the United States. She had allegedly left home without her parent’s permission.

Upon questioning, the minor reported she and Hurtado had stayed in a hotel room the night before in McAllen, according to the charges. She allegedly claimed she and Hurtado had sexual intercourse and recorded it using the minor female’s Snapchat account.

The complaint alleges law enforcement conducted a search of her phone and discovered sexually explicit images and videos of her and Hurtado.

If convicted, Hurtado faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia is prosecuting 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 tab on that page.