Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
LAREDO, Texas – A 24-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison for producing child pornography.
Erasmo Alexandro Rodriguez-Estrada pleaded guilty Dec. 2, 2025.
U.S. District Judge John Kazen has now sentenced Rodriguez-Estrada to 188 months. At the hearing, the court considered additional information including letters detailing the psychological harm the victim has suffered. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the seriousness of the crime and its consequences. Rodriguez-Estrada will also be ordered to register as a sex offender and will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Restitution will be determined at a later date. Not a U.S. citizen, he is also expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
The investigation began May 19, 2025, when authorities discovered the whereabouts of a minor previously reported as a runaway. Upon discussion with the young female, law enforcement observed multiple hematomas, commonly known as a hickey, on her neck and learned she had spent the previous night with Rodriguez-Estrada.
Rodriguez-Estrada indicated he sent the minor a friend request on social media before their sexual involvement. Authorities seized his electronic device and uncovered five videos of the two engaging in sexual acts. The investigation revealed Rodriguez-Estrada knew the victim’s age at the time of the encounters.
Rodriguez-Estrada is a citizen and national of Mexico who had been previously removed from the United States in December 2024 and illegally resided in Laredo.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa A. Lopez prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Updated June 11, 2026
