A 30-year-old Laredo man, Luis Andres Serna, has entered a guilty plea for the production of child pornography, following an investigation that linked him to the sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old pregnant minor, among other crimes. This revelation was part of a statement made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas.
According to the details disclosed by law enforcement, on April 5, after transporting an undocumented non-citizen into Laredo, Serna had the pregnant minor in his vehicle, who would later become the central figure in the exploitation case. The same day, authorities discovered 37 undocumented individuals and approximately 1,032 kilograms of marijuana in apartments associated with Serna and other suspects. These findings led to Serna’s arrest on charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented individuals.
While Serna was detained on the aforementioned charges, he used a tablet video system to contact the same minor, according to the statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Law enforcement reviewed several hundred calls and tablet video visits, uncovering a consistent pattern of communication between Serna and the minor victim.
On June 24, 2022, the minor was coerced into recording and performing sexual acts, all while Serna watched from the other side of the screen. "Protecting our children from sexual predators is one of my office’s most sacred responsibilities," Hamdani stated, “Serna is an especially reprehensible predator--a human smuggler and drug trafficker who exploited a pregnant child for his own sexual gratification adding the label “child pornographer” to his resume of crimes. This prosecution and conviction will help insure that Serna can no longer victimize Laredo’s citizens, especially its children.” Serna also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport over 1000 kilograms of marijuana, and the human transportation conspiracy, as per the press release.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña will determine Serna’s sentencing at a forthcoming date and he could face up to 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation conviction. Additional charges related to alien smuggling and drug trafficking carry severe penalties, with potential life imprisonment. A joint investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, and other entities, led to Serna's conviction under Project Safe Childhood.
