A Texas man is facing serious time after coughing up to a slew of alarming charges. Jose Angel Hinojosa Jr., 36, has admitted to dealing firearms and to the possession of disturbing child pornography content on his cellphone.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hinojosa, from Weslaco, conducted straw purchases of firearms from an online broker for nearly six years. These weapons were eventually meant to illegally journey into Mexico. Several of these firearms have been successfully traced back to him. During this period, he reportedly attempted to illegally transport over 40 firearms across the border.
The sordid tale took yet another twist when authorities came upon evidence suggesting the presence of child exploitation material. A search warrant later turned up multiple videos on Hinojosa's cellphone showing minors in explicit sexual situations.
"Hinojosa not only illegally possessed dozens of firearms, with plans to send them to Mexico, he also possessed videos of children engaged in sexual conduct," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani stated. Hinojosa, who is free on bond, is set to be sentenced on April 24 and could be slapped with up to a 20-year stint in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines, as reported by the U.S Attorney's Office.
The investigation was a joint effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations - Child Exploitation Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric D. Flores is handling the prosecution of the case.
