A 40-year-old Mexican citizen was sentenced to federal prison for transporting child pornography into the United States through the Donna port of entry, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Luis Alberto Hernandez-Venegas pleaded guilty Nov. 30, 2023. A district ordered him to serve up to eight years in federal prison and five years of supervised release.

Hernandez-Venegas was also ordered to register as a sex offender and as a non-U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

During the court hearing, additional evidence showed Hernandez-Venegas knowingly joined a Telegram group well-known for distributing child pornography. From this chat, he possessed 25 videos of child pornography, "which equated to approximately 1,875 images", according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

It was also noted that Hernandez-Venegas helped provide for a family in Mexico with the intent of engaging in a relationship with their teenage child.

Hernandez-Venegas attempted to cross in to the U.S. from Mexico on Sept. 26, 2023 through the Donna port of entry. He was referred to a secondary inspection by authorities where they were given a preliminary consensual search of his phone, that revealed child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Authorities found the phone contained multiple images, videos and chat messages depicting "prepubescent and pubescent male minors performing sexually explicit acts".

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Hernandez-Venegas also acknowledged to communicating with male minors between the ages of 15 and 17 years old. He also admitted to being in a relationship with a 15-year-old male who lives in Mexico and identified images of that minor on his cellphone.

Hernandez-Venegas said he "knowingly and intentionally possessed, received and viewed child pornography."

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.