A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 210 months in prison and ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution to nine victims for distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, for more than two decades, Carlos Fabian Velez, 52, used a peer-to-peer file sharing system to traffic in child sexual abuse material and distribute hundreds of files depicting children as young as infants and toddlers. Velez was arrested on March 28, 2022 and, on Aug. 23, 2023, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.

“The sexual abuse and exploitation of children have horrific effects on the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Individuals like Mr. Velez, who choose to traffic child sexual abuse images, must understand that their choices have very serious consequences beyond a lengthy prison sentence.”

“Carlos Velez victimized some of our most vulnerable citizens for decades,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson for the FBI San Antonio Division. “This sentence is reflective of the FBI’s dedication to hold accountable predators who would exploit innocent children.” 

The FBI investigated the case.