A 30-year-old Laredo man has pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On April 5, law enforcement encountered Luis Andres Serna after he picked up an undocumented non-citizen from downtown Laredo and transported him to an apartment building.
At that time, a 16-year-old pregnant minor was also his passenger.
Later that day, authorities discovered 37 undocumented people and approximately 1,032 kilograms of marijuana within several apartments linked to Serna and others.
This eventually led to his arrest for drug trafficking and conspiracy to transport and harbour undocumented individuals.
While in federal custody for the pending charges, he gained access to a tablet video system and contacted the same pregnant girl. The investigation revealed Serna provided the minor’s name and a phone number to initiate video calls but did not disclose she was a minor.
The facility’s communication system automatically records the displays of both parties during every video call. Law enforcement reviewed several hundred telephone calls and tablet video visits Serna initiated while detained.
The investigation revealed he was in regular video communication with the minor victim.
On June 24, 2022, he had her perform sexual acts while he watched. The minor victim used her personal cellphone to record herself performing the acts and played the video for Serna over the course of several days.
Serna also later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport over 1000 kilograms of marijuana and the human transportation conspiracy.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña accepted the plea and will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Serna faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for the sexual exploitation conviction as well as a maximum of 10 years and up to life, respectively, for the alien smuggling and drug trafficking charges.
Serna has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
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