GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Department of Justice says a man who was arrested in Gaston County earlier this year has been federally indicted on multiple counts of child sex crimes.
Channel 9 reported in April when Francisco Rosales Ortiz, 41, was arrested in Gaston County by U.S. Marshals, along with city and county police officers.
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Man arrested for child exploitation in coordinated police effort ]
According to the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday, Ortiz was indicted by a grand jury for 10 counts of production of child sexual abuse material, possession and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material, and unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien.
The DOJ says Ortiz was in the country illegally, and he’s from Mexico.
Authorities say Ortiz “engaged in sexually explicit conduct multiple times for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of sexual abuse.”
Ortiz also had two pistols and a rifle, according to the DOJ.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said in a statement: “There are plenty of people in line to legally come to the United States. They should not be forced to the back of the line for someone like Ortiz, who is charged with sexually abusing a child and illegally possessing firearms.”
Ortiz faces up to 325 years in prison if convicted.
Ortiz has been held in the Gaston County Jail since his arrest. He’s being held without bond, and he has an ICE detainer on his jail record.