A Chinese national has been hit with a stiff 12-year prison sentence for his sickening stash of child pornography that included a video of a toddler, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced yesterday.

Tong Sun, 46, had tried to illegally slip into the United States near Roma, Texas, last year, but got busted by border cops who found the damning evidence on his phone. On Dec. 20, 2023, Sun pleaded guilty and has now been ordered by U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton to also shell out $35,000 in special assessments and, after serving his time, endure five years under the hawk-eyed supervision of the law with stringent conditions that limit his access to both the Internet and kids.

"Sun admitted to ownership of the phone and to possessing the child pornography," according to the official statement. His phone contained several videos, one of which involved a child appearing to be under five years of age.

As per the ruling, non-U.S. citizen Sun is expected to face removal from the country once he gets out from behind bars. Until then, he will be cooling his heels in a federal prison, the location of which will soon be determined. Furthermore, he will have to also get registered as a sex offender.

The stomach-turning discovery of Sun's phone content led to the involvement of Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan spearheaded the prosecution in what is part of a broader Project Safe Childhood initiative. This initiative, launched by the DOJ in May 2006, is the government's major front in tackling the grim rise in child sexual abuse and exploitation, aiming to bring such offenders to justice and save the victims.