A Texas man who worked as a Santa Claus double has pleaded guilty on the charge of distributing child pornography, the Justice Department announced Monday.
Corpus Christi resident Reynaldo Ramirez, 38, had been arrested on a criminal complaint Dec. 24, 2015 after a detective traced a file containing sexual images of children to an IP address associated with him.
Homeland Security Investigations discovered a Santa Claus costume in Ramirez’s possession during the execution of a search warrant in December. Ramirez told authorities he had acted as the Christmas figure in the region over the past 15 years.
The defendant told law enforcement officials he has viewed pornographic images of children, ranging from toddlers to pre-teens, for six years. He also admitted to having sexually assaulted a four-year-old child.
Ramirez has been in police custody since the December arrest and is expected to remain there until his sentencing on August 10. He faces five to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
