A Houston man, Arthur Hector Fernandez III, has been apprehended by federal authorities on charges of child sexual exploitation.
The arrest followed the emergence of videos allegedly depicting Fernandez and six other unidentified men sexually abusing two toddlers in a public restroom. The FBI arrested Fernandez, 29, on December 18 in Kingwood, following the discovery of the incriminating videos by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE). The videos had been posted on a private, invitation-only forum on the dark web, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
The FBI submitted a detailed seven-page complaint, which revealed that Fernandez, along with six other men, were seen sexually assaulting a child in a series of four videos obtained by the agency. One of these videos was reportedly filmed in a public restroom at the Houston Galleria. The complaint noted that one of the children was seen lying on a changing table in the restroom, which offers changing tables, public facilities, and private stalls. Fernandez was previously employed at the Galleria.
The identities of the other men implicated in the sex crimes have not been disclosed by the authorities. The two child victims, aged between 2 and 3, were related to women who were also employed at the mall. The store where Fernandez formerly worked has since closed down, according to the complaint.
The complaint further revealed that the women occasionally brought their children to work when they could not afford childcare or find a babysitter. Both women had considered Fernandez a friend and had previously allowed him to look after their children while they were working at the mall.
Fernandez is currently detained at the Federal Detention Center Houston, awaiting trial. Andrew Edison, the magistrate judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, denied Fernandez bail, stating, "I cannot allow (the) defendant to abuse any other minors, and there are no conditions or combination of conditions (of release) that can alleviate a danger to the community. This is not a close call."
The FBI was able to identify Fernandez through two distinctive silver bracelets worn by a man in three of the videos. Both women confirmed that the bracelets belonged to Fernandez, and investigators found photographic evidence of Fernandez wearing the bracelets on his social media accounts.
The exact timing of the videos remains uncertain. One of the women informed investigators that Fernandez had accompanied the child trick-or-treating in October 2022 without her presence, and in December 2022, he also accompanied her relative around the mall. The other woman stated that Fernandez had also accompanied her relative on a mall tour during the summer.
The complaint further stated that the FBI searched Fernandez's residence in early December, seizing electronic devices and items allegedly linking him to the recordings and child sexual abuse materials. Fernandez was not present during the FBI inspection. His private Instagram account reportedly features two rainbow flags in the bio.
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