ALPINE An Alpine man was sentenced in a federal court in Alpine to 78 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Timothy Rey Korteland, 19, engaged in multiple conversations, sexual in nature, with a minor in another state over the messaging application Discord. An FBI agent executed a search warrant for Korteland’s Discord account, revealing multiple instances of Korteland claiming to have child sexual abuse material. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI conducted a search warrant at Korteland’s residence, removing all electronics in his possession, and found multiple video files depicting young children engaged in sexual activity saved in an application on his cell phone.
Korteland pleaded guilty to the possession of child pornography charge on March 28.
“This defendant, by his own estimate, possessed around 2,000 videos of child sexual abuse material and other illicit sexual content, and was forming an online relationship with a minor,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, in a news release. “I appreciate the collaborative efforts by our federal law enforcement partners to prevent Korteland from causing any further harm to his victims. This federal prison sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who seeks out and possesses material of this nature, that we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice.”
“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protect children from those who seek to exploit their innocence,” said Special Agent in Charge John S. Morales of the FBI El Paso Field Office, in the release. “These types of cases serve as a reminder of the importance for parents/caregivers to be aware of who their children are talking to when they are online and playing in group gaming platforms.”
“This sentence is a testament to the repugnant nature of child exploitation crimes which only perpetuates the trauma endured by victims,” Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola of the HSI El Paso Division said in the release. “HSI agents make it a top priority to protect vulnerable children from victimization by working with their law enforcement partners to investigate predators involved in child sexual abuse material and ensure they are held accountable for their heinous actions.”
The FBI and HSI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Greenbaum prosecuted the case.
