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Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, and West Haven Police Chief Joseph Perno announced that MARIO RENE GARCIA MARTINEZ, also known as “Mario Rene Martinez Garcia,” 33, a citizen of Guatemala was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with child exploitation offenses.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on two occasions in February 2024, in Connecticut, Garcia Martinez used his smartphone to record sexually explicit videos and images of a prepubescent minor female while she was sleeping.
Garcia Martinez was arrested this morning in Valley Stream, New York. He appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.
The complaint charges Garcia Martinez with production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and with possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings with the assistance of the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
