Receipt Of Child Pornography Nets DC Man Sentence Of 151 Months In Prison

WASHINGTON, DC — Ruben Verastigui, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced in federal court on Thursday to 12 year and five months in prison for soliciting and receiving videos involving sexual abuse of children, including the rape of a baby, according to court documents.

Verastigui pleaded guilty on July 9 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for receiving child pornography, according to a release.

From April 2020 through February 2021 Verastigui was an active member of an online group that discussed child sexual abuse and traded child pornography, according to authorities. In addition to sharing videos of child pornography, he also made numerous comments in the group about sexually abusing children, according to court documents.

At one point, Verastigui posted that his preference was for viewing videos of babies being sexually abused, indicating that they were his "absolute favorite." Following up on a request from Verastigui, another group member sent him a video that showed a baby being sexually abused, according to court documents.

Verastigui and the other member exchanged additional child pornography videos, authorities said.

Verastigui has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 5, 2021.

Once Verastigui completes his 151-month sentence, he will be placed on supervised release for five years and will have to register as a sexual offender for at least 15 years, according to court documents.