PEARLAND, Texas – A 27-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Andrew Joel Galvan pleaded guilty on Sept. 21, 2022, to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography.
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On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown sentenced him to 360 months on each of the sexual exploitation of a minor counts, and a total of 120 months for the receipt and possession of child pornography combined.
At the hearing, the court heard how Galvan had reached out to 10 different young girls requesting them to send naked photos and videos of themselves to him. In imposing the sentence, Judge Brown commented on how Galvan’s conduct is very different than others who just collect child pornography.
Galvan was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In April 2020, the mother of an 8-year-old child contacted police after discovering sexually explicit chats between her daughter and an unknown individual on Instagram. Authorities later identified that person as Galvan.
A search of the minor’s cell phone revealed several private chats in which Galvan was soliciting naked photos and videos of the minor. He would direct the minor on how to position herself and request multiple images. She ultimately did as he requested.
Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for Galvan’s Instagram account, which was only two months old. They found numerous conversations between Galvan and several prepubescent children in which Galvan would solicit child pornography and direct these minors on how to take the images and videos.
Galvan admitted he would portray himself as a 13, 14 or 15-year-old boy and targeted girls between the ages of 8 and 13. He also admitted to sending these children pictures of his private parts.
Authorities ultimately discovered 10 victims, all under the age of 12, from whom Galvan solicited child pornography.
Law enforcement also conducted a forensic exam on Galvan’s electronic devices and found 7,500 images and 650 videos of young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images and videos include children under the age of 12, bondage, bestiality and acts of violence such as the penetration of the victims.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.