CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 59-year-old Corpus Christi resident was sentenced to serve life in federal prison after being convicted of several child-exploitation offenses.
A federal jury convicted Edward Sanchez after he traveled to foreign countries to engage in illicit sexual conduct with three minors.
On July 26, 2021, Sanchez was found guilty following a weeklong trial and nearly 10 hours of deliberation. U.S. Nelva Gonzales Ramos then handed Sanchez a life sentence Tuesday.
"At the hearing, the court heard evidence of his attempts to solicit and coerce additional schoolmates of the victims, as well as testimony from a mental-health professional regarding the effects of his actions," court officials stated in a release. "In imposing the sentence, Judge Ramos noted Sanchez's complete lack of remorse for his actions."
During the trial, evidence revealed Sanchez had traveled to the Philippines, where he posed as a benefactor to a school. However, Sanchez ultimately sought sexual relationships with the students instead.
The jury heard from three minor victims who testified about Sanchez's activities, including requests for pornographic images.
"These were later used to extort the children into meeting for sexual encounters, some unprotected, in the Philippines," the release states. "Sanchez often provided victims with 'morning-after pills' to prevent conception."
Court officials state that social-media messages detail Sanchez's attempts to arrange access for another adult male seeking sex.
The jury looked through thousands of pages of social-media messages during deliberations detailing Sanchez's exploitation of the child victims.
"The defense attempted to convince the jury his conduct was lawful by Filipino standards and that United States laws were racist," the release states.
The jury ultimately found Sanchez had sexually exploited three minor children between March 5, 2016, and November 21, 2018, using social media in the Philippines and the United States.
Authorities say Sanchez has been in custody, and is pending transfer to a prison facility.
