Brian Perez, 31, of Beeville, has been ordered to serve 144 months in federal prison after admitting he possessed child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge David Morales handed down the 12-year sentence on Wednesday, tacking on 10 years of supervised release and requiring Perez to register as a sex offender.
Perez pleaded guilty on Aug. 20, 2025. At sentencing, the court heard that he was not a passive consumer but had actively tried to trade child sexual abuse material online to grow his collection, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. Restitution will be set at a later date. Perez remains in custody while he awaits transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The U.S. Attorney's Office on X stated that the investigation kicked off on Nov. 7, 2024, after authorities detected child sexual abuse material uploaded to the internet. Agents secured a search warrant for Perez’s home in Beeville and seized two electronic devices. A forensic review of those devices turned up roughly 75 videos and more than 1,000 images depicting prepubescent children in sexually explicit conduct.
Investigation and prosecution
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations led the probe, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and Izaak Bruce handled the prosecution as part of Project Safe Childhood, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local agencies to track down and prosecute people who sexually exploit children.
Legal implications
The sentence comes with a decade of supervised release and strict limits on Perez’s internet use and contact with minors, the U.S. Attorney's Office on X said. Perez told investigators he had been viewing child sexual abuse material for about two years before he was caught. As part of his sentence, he will have to comply with sex offender registration requirements and follow all conditions imposed during supervised release.
Officials say the conviction is another example of federal efforts in South Texas to crack down on online trafficking of child sexual abuse material. Authorities urge anyone with information about similar crimes to contact local law enforcement or Homeland Security Investigations.
