A Texas man has been sentenced to a hard 17 years behind bars for child pornography after being convicted of using Snapchat to send explicit material to a minor. Juan Aguilera Duran, 33, of Mansfield, was given 210 months in federal prison following a hearing on Friday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas confirmed.
U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor didn't hesitate to also slap Duran with a lifetime of supervised release. Duran had pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of receipt of child pornography, after having been indicted months earlier. U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton condemned Duran's actions, vowing to "take child predators like this defendant off the street", according to the Department of Justice.
According to court documents, this case unraveled when the Mansfield Police Department responded to a report involving a 14-year-old boy who was subjected to unsolicited sexually explicit messages, images, and videos from Duran via Snapchat. The ensuing investigation, which included search and arrest warrants, led to Duran's guilty plea.
The prosecution said that justice was served thanks to a coordinated effort among multiple agencies. "Our dedicated federal prosecutors are committed to taking child predators like this defendant off the street," U.S. Attorney Simonton emphasized in praise for the collective work of the involved organizations. Christina Foley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Dallas Field Office, acknowledged the expertise her agency brought to the table to effectively catch and prosecute Duran, as per the Department of Justice.
Lauding the multi-agency collaboration, Mansfield Police Chief Tracy Aaron highlighted the shared objective to "fight evil in our community." The collaboration included the Secret Service, Tarrant Co. District Attorney's Office Digital Forensics and Technical Services, and the Mansfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandie Wade was the one who prosecuted the case against Duran.
For more information, contact Erin Dooley, Public Affairs Officer, at (214) 659-8707 or via email at [email protected].
