A 35-year-old resident of Spring, Texas, has been sentenced for distributing, receiving, and possessing child sexual abuse material, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Oscar Barrios pleaded guilty on November 30, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett sentenced Barrios to 144 months for the distribution and receipt of child pornography and 120 months for the possession of child pornography, with both sentences running concurrently for a total of 144 months. The court noted that Barrios violated a position of trust, as he was a father with minor children in his household. In addition to his prison term, Barrios was ordered to pay $20,500 in restitution to the victims and will serve five years of supervised release upon his release from prison. During this time, he will face restrictions on his access to children and the internet and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Barrios used messaging apps such as Kik and Discord to distribute and receive child pornography, participating in chat rooms like “Pedo Lives Matter” where members traded such material. He also expressed a sexual interest in a minor female relative in these chatrooms. Law enforcement found 66 videos and one image of child pornography on his electronic devices.
Barrios will remain in custody until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was carried out by the FBI with assistance from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebekah Saunders and Christine Lu are prosecuting the case, which is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC). PSC, a DOJ initiative launched in May 2006, aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse by marshaling federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
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