Texas couple who prosecutors called ‘The most wicked criminals in Texas history’, sentenced to 60 years in jail for child sex abuse
The husband and wife, both 27, are jailed for 60 years each for sexually abusing and filming at least 25 children, ranging in age from 8 months to 14 years, who they met at church and placed in their care
Christopher Almaguer and Sarah Rashelle Almaguer from , Killeen, both 27, pled guilty to sexual exploitation of children
They also pled guilty to one count of production of child pornography
The couple, parents to five children, also have to be on supervised release for the remainder of their lives and pay over $100,000 in restitution
Almaguer’s brother, Paul Perez Jr, 25, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty on two counts of receipt of child porn
‘This is the most significant case we’ve prosecuted since I became U.S. attorney, the Almaguers were serial child abusers.’ They abused children from the neighborhood, children from church, children they babysat’ – U.S. attorney John F Bash
After their conviction, the couple apologized for their actions and said that they turned their lives over to God
Christopher Almaguer [left], and his wife Sarah Rashelle Almaguer, both 27, will each serve 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of children and the production of child pornography
A young couple from Killeen, deemed ‘the most wicked criminals in Texas history’ have been sentenced to 60 years each in federal prison for sexually assaulting at least 25 children in their care.
Parents-of-five Christopher Almaguer and Sarah Rashelle Almaguer, both 27, pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of production of child pornography, according to a press release from the Western District of Texas.
Christopher Almaguer’s brother, 25-year-old Paul Perez Jr, was also sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after his pleading guilty on two counts of receipt of child pornography.
United States district judge Alan D Albright also ordered that each of the defendants pay $10,000 restitution to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Fund and be placed on supervised release for the remainder of their lives.
‘To me this is the most significant case we’ve prosecuted since I became U.S. attorney,’ stated U.S. attorney John F Bash.
‘The Almaguers were serial child abusers. They abused 25 children that we know about – children from the neighborhood, children from church, children they babysat.
‘The youngest victim was an infant. And the nature of the abuse was unimaginable. They also made videos of the children’s torture and shared them.
These are two of the most wicked criminals in Texas history.’
The Almaguers admitted that in December 2017, they uploaded sexually explicit videos of themselves sexually assaulting the children as young as eight months old.
Bash described that Christopher raped an infant girl while his wife penetrated an infant girl with a sharpie pen.
Perez admitted to receiving the images and videos from the couple that depicted the abuse of the children. He is said to have requested his brother sexually assault a five-year-old girl while telling her to say ‘hi, Paul.’
According to court records, investigators were able to come up with a list of approximately 25 potential minor child victims, all coming from the Central Texas area.
The arrests were part of a joint investigation between the Texas Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Investigations Division, Child Exploitation Unit, the United States Secret Service, KIlleen Police Department and the Temple Police Department.
The Almaguers admitted that in December 2017, they uploaded sexually explicit videos of themselves sexually assaulting the children as young as eight months old.
Along with Paul Perez, the Almaguers have been in police custody since their arrests in February and March 2018.
Bash said the Almaguers were flagged after they sent images of child pornography to Perez and others on Facebook Messenger. Facebook notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline, which alerted authorities in Central Texas, that a user was uploading images and videos depicting child pornography.
Of the 25 victims in the case, ranging in age from 8 months to 14 years old, 13 have been identified, reports the Waco Tribune.
US Attorney Bash said authorities are still trying to find the identities of the other potential victims, and encourage anyone who suspects child abuse or parents who think their child may have been victimized by the Almaguers to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children hotline at 800-843-5678.
The couple apologized for their actions and said that they turned their lives over to God, and also offered to be better parents to their five children.
Leave a Reply