WESLACO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Weslaco man pleaded guilty to ownership of child porn, federal records indicate.
Angel Efren Rocha reached a plea agreement Wednesday, according to U.S. District Court documents.
An intention of guilt was filed by the defendant in July for the sole count on the indictment.
“Due to the nature of the offense, counsel would respectfully request defendant’s plea be
taken at the end of the docket, or in the alternative not with any other defendant who intends to
plea on the same day,” the notice of intent to plea stated.
From August 2019 to May 2020, the court alleges Rocha knowingly received material containing child pornography that had been mailed, shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, the indictment stated.
A criminal complaint, obtained by ValleyCentral, stated Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents with the Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Investigations Task Force received information from Dropbox Inc. about an account with suspicious activity.
Dropbox reported a user account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for suspected child porn in January 2021. The account, with an email address, registered back to a person in the Rio Grande Valley, was shut down.
After reviewing billing information, authorities revealed Rocha was the owner of the account.
The criminal complaint states Rocha admitted to ownership of the Dropbox account and stated he accessed pictures and videos of child pornography, court documents indicate. One of the folders in the Dropbox was labeled “WHS” which he stated was where he kept images of Weslaco High School students.
A separate folder contained child pornography he received from an unidentified third party, the complaint stated.
Rocha is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27 before Jude Ricardo H Hinojosa, court documents indicate.
