Couple accused of filming sex abuse of 25 children, including 8-month-old, sentenced to 60 years

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A couple accused of sexually abusing and making child pornography of at least 25 children, including an 8-month-old baby, have each been sentenced to 60 years in prison, authorities said last week.

According to The Associated Press, Christopher and Sarah Rashelle Almaguer, both 27, of Killeen, Texas, were sentenced Wednesday, nearly six months after they pleaded guilty to one count of sexually exploiting children and one count of producing child pornography.

"By pleading guilty, the Almaguers admitted that in December 2017 they uploaded sexually explicit videos of themselves sexually assaulting children as young as 8 months old," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said in a news release.

Each of the Almaguers also must pay $10,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Fund, federal prosecutors said. After completing their sentences, the Almaguers will "be placed on supervised release for the remainder of their lives," according to the news release.

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Prosecutors said the pair were arrested in February after Facebook reported that a user uploaded suspected child porn. During the investigation, authorities identified 25 possible victims ranging from 8 months to 14 years old, the news release said.

Authorities said the Almaguers were the legal guardians of at least one victim. Other victims included members of their church and kids they baby-sat, prosecutors said.

"These are two of the most wicked criminals in Texas history," U.S. Attorney John F. Bash said in a statement.

In addition, a federal judge on Wednesday sentenced Christopher Almaguer's brother, Paul Perez Jr., 25, to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography, prosecutors said. He also must pay $10,000 to the victims' fund and will be supervised after his release.

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– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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