Current:Home > Finance'Revolting' evidence against Texas man includes videos of group sexual abuse of toddlers: FBI-InfoLens
'Revolting' evidence against Texas man includes videos of group sexual abuse of toddlers: FBI
View Date:2024-12-23 14:33:15
A Texas man is in federal custody after the FBI linked him to videos from the dark web depicting group sexual assault on toddlers in a mall.
Arthur Hector Fernandez, 29, was arrested Dec. 18, 2023 in Kingwood, TX as the result of a Dec. 14 criminal complaint filed in federal court in Houston, records show.
According to the complaint, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation earlier in December. The organization shared with the FBI four videos posted on an invitation-only forum on the dark web.
The FBI were able to identify one of the children, less than 3 years old, through social media. A relative of the child was presented with a sanitized image of the video and recognized the bracelets an individual in the video was wearing as belonging to Fernandez, according to the complaint. The two became friends after working at nearby stores at the Galleria Mall in Houston, and he would watch the child for her occasionally while she worked, she told the FBI.
Investigators believe at least one of the videos is taken in a public restroom because a changing table is present, and the mall has public restrooms with changing tables, the complaint states.
"The evidence in this case is overwhelming and revolting," the judge wrote in a court order requiring Fernandez to remain detained pending trial. "I cannot allow (him) to abuse any other minors and there are no conditions or combination of conditions that can alleviate a danger to the community. This is not a close call."
Fernandez has been charged with the sexual exploitation of children. The public defender listed as Fernandez's attorney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Thursday.
Videos showed multiple males sexually abusing children less than 3 years old
The complaint details the graphic videos, in which the video's creator and one or two other males present sexually abuse two different children, both aged 2 to 3 years old.
The ACCCE shared the videos as they contained two common identifiers: two silver bracelets and white Converse All-Star shoes.
The FBI used an open-source image repository to match one of the toddlers to a relative who posted photos of the child on social media. She told investigators that Fernandez, who formerly worked at the mall, had offered to take care of the child when she could not find childcare. In addition to recognizing the bracelets, she also said Fernandez would often wear white Converse All-Stars.
The FBI also executed a search warrant for Fernandez's address, seizing his electronic devices and three pairs of the sneakers seen in the videos.
A search through Fernandez's Instagram account helped the FBI locate a relative of the second minor, the complaint states. She also worked at the mall, and would bring the child to work with her. She also told investigators that Fernandez took the child trick-or-treating on Halloween.
veryGood! (714)
Related
- Ranked voting will decide a pivotal congressional race. How does that work?
- NASA beams Missy Elliott song to Venus
- It Ends With Us: Blake Lively Will Have Your Emotions Running High in Intense New Trailer
- Harvey Weinstein's New York sex crimes retrial set to begin in November
- Homes of Chiefs’ quarterback Mahomes and tight end Kelce were broken into last month
- Federal appeals court dismisses lawsuit over Tennessee’s anti-drag show ban
- Deion Sanders got unusual publicity bonus from Colorado, records show
- A man kills a grizzly bear in Montana after it attacks while he is picking berries
- Five best fits for Alex Bregman: Will Astros homegrown star leave as free agent?
- Watch Ryan Reynolds React to Joke That He's Bad at Sex
Ranking
- What to know about Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney, who died Friday
- Jury convicts Honolulu businessman of 13 counts, including murder in aid of racketeering
- Marine accused of flashing a Nazi salute during the Capitol riot gets almost 5 years in prison
- CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz Apologizes Amid Massive Tech Outage
- Don't Miss Cameron Diaz's Return to the Big Screen Alongside Jamie Foxx in Back in Action Trailer
- U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich's trial resumes in Russia on spying charges roundly denounced as sham
- Harvey Weinstein's New York sex crimes retrial set to begin in November
- Marine accused of flashing a Nazi salute during the Capitol riot gets almost 5 years in prison
Recommendation
-
Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
-
West Virginia governor’s bulldog gets her own bobblehead after GOP convention appearance
-
Moon fests, moon movie and even a full moon mark 55th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing
-
NASA beams Missy Elliott song to Venus
-
Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
-
Photos capture fallout of global tech outage at airports, stores, Disneyland, more
-
Jon Gosselin Accuses Ex Kate Gosselin of Parent Alienation Amid Kids' Estrangement
-
Snag SPANX’s Viral Leggings and More Cute Styles on Mega Discount at Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale 2024