Hammond, IN-(ENEWSPF)- United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon sentenced Angel J. Zanex, 37 years old, of Lafayette, Indiana, to 84 months in prison. This was after Zanex pled guilty to distributing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
The judge sentenced Zanex to 84 months in prison and five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $71,000 in restitution to the charged offense and victims of uncharged crimes.
According to documents in the case, on or about December 15, 2021, Zanex distributed child sexual abuse material by posting a video to an online platform.
Case Background
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) GRIT/Merrillville Field Office investigated the case. These offices assisted:
- FBI Milwaukee Field Office,
- the Winnebago County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office,
- the Indiana State Police Digital Forensic Unit,
- the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Tak Force (ICAC),
- the Tippecanoe County Hight Tech Crime Unit,
- and the Lafayette Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan and former Northern District of Indiana Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Chang and Jill Koster prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
This is a release from the United States Department of Justice.
