EARLSBORO MAN SENTENCED TO SERVE 30 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR CHILD EXPLOITATION AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Defendant Ordered to Pay $12,000 in Restitution to Victims
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, ALEXANDER WILLIAM SANTIAGO, 26, of Earlsboro, was sentenced to serve 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On March 9, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment against Santiago, charging him with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.
In April 2023, Santiago was tried by a federal jury and found guilty on both counts. Evidence presented at trial indicated that in July 2021, authorities with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office became aware of Santiago sexually abusing a minor. Following Santiago’s arrest, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal search warrant of his cell phone and discovered thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography, including images that Mr. Santiago produced using the minor he had sexually abused.
“The stiff punishment cannot undo the damage done to the innocent child victims, but it will certainly keep this defendant from harming other children,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “This sentence should also serve as a warning to those who seek to sexually exploit children that such despicable behavior will not be tolerated in a civilized society. I commend law enforcement and the prosecutors who work these difficult and challenging cases.”
“This sentence is proof that this defendant’s deviant behavior of victimizing children will not go unpunished,“ said Robert Melton, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, HSI Dallas – Oklahoma, and Texas Panhandle Division. “Thanks to the assistance of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, this predator is behind bars, preventing him from ever abusing a child ever again.”
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Santiago to serve 30 years in federal prison, followed by supervised release for life, and $12,000 in restitution. Judge Wyrick also ordered Santiago to pay $16,700.00 in special assessments to funds that assist victims of sexual exploitation. In announcing his sentence, Judge Wyrick noted the “vile, horrifying” images found on Santiago’s phone, adding that “our most vulnerable members of society were taken advantage of” as a result of Santiago’s actions.
This case is the result of an investigation by HSI and the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys D.H. Dilbeck and Brandon Hale prosecuted the case.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Tornado Alley Child Exploitation Task Force. Members of the Task Force in the Western District of Oklahoma include Homeland Security Investigations, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma City Police Department, and Comanche County Police Department. The Tornado Alley Child Exploitation Task Force is an implementation of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.