SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man who has been in federal custody since his arrest in July 2019 was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison on child pornography charges.
Francisco Govea Tristan III, 24, used a social media platform on Nov. 11, 2018, to start talking with a minor in another state, the U.S. Dept. of Justice said in a news release.
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That’s where he was able to coerce a minor to produce and send him sexually explicit photos and videos, according to DOJ officials.
When Tristan was confronted by law enforcement, he admitted to having the minor send the explicit content and confessed to having other child pornography on his phone as well.
He was arrested and taken into federal custody on July 19, 2019. Just over a year later, on July 20, 2021, Tristan pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, DOJ officials said.
His case was investigated by the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
“The defendant was a child predator who inflicted significant damage on his victims, which is reflected in his sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff in a statement. “These types of crimes leave a wake of destruction and brokenness for both the child victims and their families. This office is committed to ensuring that this defendant and others like him are removed from society and further damaging others.”