A Mexican national, Erik Santana-Garcia, 34, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole for crimes including the sexual exploitation of two minors and illegally reentering the United States. He will also serve a lifetime of supervised release.
Santana-Garcia pleaded guilty on March 3 to charges of interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, possession of child pornography, and illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior deportation. Federal officials stated that he transported a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity.
The incident occurred when Santana-Garcia left Utah with the victim on November 10, 2024, intending to travel to New York. Oak Grove, Missouri, police located the pair two days later. During the arrest, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations discovered child pornography depicting a second minor on a phone seized from Santana-Garcia.
Court documents indicate that Santana-Garcia had been deported and removed from the U.S. multiple times, with his most recent removal occurring on March 6, 2019. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that Santana-Garcia will be deported to Mexico once his prison sentence is complete.