Federal prosecutors say a 33-year-old Dumas man who admitted paying minors online for sexually explicit photos and videos is now facing what is effectively a life sentence in prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk handed Victor Torres a 720‑month term after his guilty plea, the result of a multi‑agency investigation aimed at rooting out online child exploitation.
Sentence and plea
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, Torres pleaded guilty in May 2025 to two counts of production of child pornography. On Dec. 9, 2025, Judge Kacsmaryk sentenced him to 720 months in federal prison. Prosecutors say Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Woolam handled the case, which unfolded in federal court in the Northern District of Texas.
How investigators say the scheme worked
Homeland Security Investigations opened the case after receiving a CyberTip connected to an online money‑exchange platform, then traced the alert to several accounts that investigators say Torres used to contact minors, as reported by The Dallas Express. Court documents described in that reporting state that Torres, who was about 30 at the time, misrepresented his age as 17 and, in 2023, paid two children, ages 13 and 14, to create explicit photos and videos. Investigators say he gave instructions on how the minors should pose and what items they should include.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Torres's residence in June 2024 and seized electronic devices. According to the same reporting, investigators say those devices contained search terms for child pornography along with additional abusive material.
Prosecutors' statement
"This defendant lured vulnerable youth into his despicable crimes and deservedly received a lengthy prison sentence," U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a statement, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The office credited Homeland Security Investigations' Dallas Field Office (Amarillo Resident Agency), multiple other HSI resident agencies and local law enforcement partners for the multi‑state investigation that led to Torres's arrest and prosecution.
Legal context
Torres pleaded guilty to federal production charges that make it a crime to persuade, induce, entice, coerce or pay a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating visual depictions. The statute, outlined in 18 U.S.C. § 2251, carries severe penalties and higher sentencing ranges when aggravating circumstances are present.
Cases like this are frequently brought as joint efforts between federal and local agencies. The FBI and partner organizations regularly point to the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood framework as the backbone for many of these coordinated child exploitation investigations.
How to report suspected abuse
Authorities urge anyone who believes a child is being exploited online to speak up. Suspected abuse can be reported through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline or directly to local law enforcement. The CyberTipline and additional reporting information are available at missingkids.org, which routes tips to the appropriate agencies for follow‑up.
