Laredo man convicted of producing child pornography; Two victims were his relatives

A Laredo man was sentenced to 35 years in prison Monday for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Aaron Hernandez, 25, pleaded guilty in May to production and possession of child pornography. His crimes, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña noted, were among the “most disturbing” she had encountered in her career.

Hernandez, who admitted producing child pornography on a young relative, described himself as a “monster” and “animal” during the trial. But Judge Saldaña made it clear that no words of remorse could undo the destruction he had caused. “There is nothing Hernandez can do or say that will make it better,” she said at the sentencing.

At the sentencing, the father of one of Hernandez’s victims expressed the emotional toll Hernandez’s actions had taken on the family. He spoke of broken trust and irreparable damage because the abuse came from someone close to the family. “Children don’t deserve this,” said the father.

As part of his sentence, Hernandez was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of his known victims. After completing his sentence, he faces 10 years of supervised release, during which he will face strict restrictions, including limited access to the internet and children. He must also register as a sex offender.

Hernandez’s crimes came to light in late 2023 when law enforcement officials linked him to a WhatsApp account used to distribute child pornography. In October of that year, investigators executed a search warrant at his home and seized electronic devices that contained incriminating evidence. In total, authorities seized 11 videos and 10 images of child sexual abuse material, some of which were self-produced and showed Hernandez sexually abusing a minor family member on two separate occasions.

The investigation, led by the FBI and the Laredo Child Exploitation Task Force, uncovered the full extent of Hernandez’s abuse, which included both digital crimes and physical acts against two minor relatives.

Hernandez remains in custody and will be transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence.

Statistics from the Children’s Advocacy Center show that one in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. Despite these numbers, the vast majority of cases go unreported, with three in five children never disclosing the abuse for reasons such as fear, shame or lack of awareness. More than 90% of child victims are abused by someone they know and trust, further complicating the likelihood of disclosure and reporting.