CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 39-year-old Mexican citizen who had been living in Dublin, Ireland, is set to appear in McAllen federal court on charges of production of child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck announced.
Abelardo Sanchez is scheduled for an arraignment and detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis at 2 p.m.
Austrian authorities arrested Sanchez in December 2025. He was extradited June 5 and made his initial appearance June 8 in McAllen.
According to the indictment, returned Oct. 28, 2025, Sanchez had an online account that contained child sexual abuse material, some of which appeared to be self-produced and dated back to 2014. The investigation led to the identification of the minor victim who had resided in Texas at the time Sanchez produced the images, according to the charges.
Sanchez had allegedly been living in Dublin, Ireland, since 2024 before traveling to Austria, where he was ultimately arrested.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in The Hague and Vienna conducted the investigation with assistance from HSI in McAllen and Dublin, Ireland, as well as international law enforcement partners. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Sanchez.
If convicted, Sanchez faces a minimum of 25 and up to 50 years in federal prison, as well as a possible maximum fine of $250,000.
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