A 41-year-old Guatemalan citizen in the United States illegally pleaded guilty Friday in New Haven federal court to child exploitation charges, federal officials announced. David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, stated that Mario Rene Garcia Martinez, also known as “Mario Rene Martinez Garcia,” entered the plea following an investigation into incidents that occurred last year.
Court documents and statements presented during the proceedings revealed that on two occasions in February 2024, Garcia Martinez used his smartphone to record images and videos of himself sexually abusing a prepubescent minor female while she was sleeping in Connecticut.
Garcia Martinez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years. He also pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.
READ: Tampa Man Caught In Web Of Criminal Charges After Exploiting Teenager
Law enforcement authorities arrested Garcia Martinez on March 6, 2025, and he has remained detained since that date. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the court.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Haven Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel E. Cummings and Anastasia E. King are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford.
The case is also tied to Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative designed to direct federal resources toward addressing illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
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