DALLAS — A 25-year-old man who hid photos of himself sexually assaulting preschool-aged children inside what appeared to be a calculator app on his phone has been sentenced to 60 years in prison, federal authorities announced Friday.
Humberto Barreto Jr. was indicted in January and pleaded guilty in June to two counts of production of child pornography. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, the investigation began when Barreto Jr.'s ex-girlfriend alerted police that she discovered internet searches for child pornography on his cellphone. When she confronted him, Barreto Jr. admitted to using cryptocurrency to purchase child sexual abuse photos and said “age did not matter” to him.
Authorities said after a forensic search they found hundreds of photos and at least 30 videos of men sexually abusing children, including toddlers. They also found a storage app disguised as a calculator, where Barreto Jr. hid videos of him sexually assaulting 4-and 5-year-old girls, according to court documents.
“I mean, I can’t deny it,” he said when confronted by officers. “I did what I did.”
One of the victim's mother released a statement that was read during Barreto Jr.'s sentencing.
“My baby girl, she seems to have been more withdrawn and sensitive…she’s had nightmares. Those acts he did are of a monster, and I believe he is one in the truest form," she said.
Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Howard County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation with the assistance of the Big Spring Police Department.
“This lengthy sentence is proof that this defendant’s deviant behavior of victimizing and sexually exploiting children will not stand, “said Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas.
