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Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Child Exploitation, Identity Theft

BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry today announced the arrest of an illegal alien for internet crimes against children and identity theft.

“Making Louisiana safer is a top priority for my office, and we will continue doing all we can to stop child predators and fight illegal immigration,” said General Landry. “This arrest is yet another example of someone who should not be here inflicting damage on our State and her people.”

Victor Velazquez, an illegal immigrant living in Hammond, was arrested on two counts of Possession of Sexual Abuse Images/Videos of Children (under the age of 13) and one count of Identity Theft. During their investigation into Velazquez – agents from General Landry’s Office located a social security card with his name but someone else’s number, prompting the identity theft charge.

“As I have repeatedly said: every time one of these videos or images is viewed, the child is re-victimized,” added General Landry. “So I will continue working with our law enforcement partners to do all that we can to protect the innocence of our children and root out illegal immigration.”

Velazquez was arrested and booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail as a result of a joint investigation between the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crime Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana State Police, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. An ICE detainer has been placed on Velazquez, holding him for immigration enforcement review.

General Landry’s Cyber Crime Unit has investigated thousands of computer crimes that have victimized children from infants to 16 years of age. To report child exploitation, call the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation at 800-256-4506.