San Antonio man sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for distributing child pornography

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — A man will spend 210 months in prison after he was sentenced in federal court for distributing child pornography.

Carlos Fabian Velez, 52, of San Antonio used a peer-to-peer file sharing system to traffic child sexual abuse material and distribute hundreds of files depicting children as young as infants and toddlers, according to court documents.

“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.”

In addition to the prison time, Velez will pay $45,000 in restitution to nine of his victims.

Court documents show Velez was active in distributing child porn for more than two decades.

Velez was arrested on March 28, 2022 and, on Aug. 23, 2023, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.

“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.”