Man pleads guilty to possessing child sex abuse material, gets 23-year prison sentence

Adam Cardenas pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography, resulting in a sentence of 281 months in prison followed by 35 years of supervised release, according to a Department of Justice press release. He sexually abused a seven‑year‑old and a three‑year‑old, recorded the abuse, and possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material, which he distributed via the Kik messenger platform. Cardenas was formally charged in 2024 and must also register as a sex offender. “We volition not let evil criminals who prey connected children to evade justice,” said Sigal Chattah, the archetypal adjunct United States lawyer for the District of Nevada, successful a statement. “Today’s condemnation highlights that those who sexually exploit children, done immoderate technological means, volition beryllium held accountable to the fullest grade of the law.” “Protecting children is the FBI’s non-negotiable priority,” said Christopher S. Delzotto, the FBI Las Vegas tract office’s peculiar cause successful charge, successful a statement. “Together with our instrumentality enforcement partners astatine each level — federal, state, local, and tribal — we are agreed successful identifying and investigating anyone who seeks to exploit oregon harm the vulnerable.”