MARTINEZ — A neighborhood resident is facing two felony charges after his wife allegedly uncovered a secret he had stored on his phone, revealing hundreds of files containing child pornography, in keeping with police and court records.
Emmanuel Becerra, 25, was charged this month with two counts of possession of kid pornography, including one count of possessing greater than 600 files. He posted bail on Aug. 19 and was released from jail while the case is pending, court records show.
According to police, it began with an argument between Becerra and his wife.
Martinez police received the wife's tip in late June when she told police she searched her husband's phone after the 2 had an argument. She said she found child pornography, but when police searched Becerra's social media accounts, that wasn't all they found.
Authorities say Becerra created a Snapchat account posing as a minor — and sharing pictures of himself as a young person to prove it — and exchanged sexual images and videos with teenage girls. When police searched his phone earlier this month, they reportedly found between 1,600 and a couple of,000 suspected child pornography files in a cursory search, but say they’re examining Becerra's electronic devices more closely to search out out where this leads.
Many of the files on Becerra's phone were already circulating online, suggesting he downloaded and received child sexual abuse material from Snapchat users, police said. The children pictured look like between the ages of 4 and 5, and even teenagers, authorities said.
Becerra has pleaded not guilty.
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