"Ruben Verastigui worked for Students for Life from Sept. 5, 2014 to Dec. 2, 2016, following some engagement when he was a student himself. We R all about the keep it local vibe. A detention memo stated that he even chatted online with another person about killing a kid. Stay up to date with what you want to know. G. Michael Harvey, Date of Last Known Filing: According to a criminal complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Verastigui, 27, is accused of receiving and possessing child pornography between April 2020 and February 2021. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Verastigui was arrested on February 5. He has been in custody ever since. (zpt) (Entered: 04/21/2021), MOTION for Excludable Delayby USA as to RUBEN VERASTIGUI. An ex-GOP staffer pleaded guilty to a child pornography charge and faces 12 to 15 years in prison. The other group member then sent Verastigui numerous other videos of child pornography. That same profile says he worked as a senior designer for the Republican National Committee from May 2017 through July 2018, and as a senior digital strategist for the Senate Republican Conference from March 2019 through July 2020. CourtListener, From The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Mr. Verastigui admitted to authorities that he belonged to a private online group devoted to sharing explicit photos and videos showing children being raped, Mr. Sherwin explained in the filing. For a clear picture of the information we collect, please see our privacy policy here:PRIVACY. Funeraria del Angel Trevino. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. That placed the Instagram user at an apartment building in D.C. where Mr. Verastigui was arrested during a multi-agency operation Friday. An email to Verastigui's attorney went unanswered Sunday morning. If you are not a monthly donor, we allow five alerts and give a bonus of 10 alerts to anybody with the RECAP Extension installed. Making sure that victims of crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. If a post does not have source links, it is an early draft and will be updated soon. But, here Verastiguis conduct goes far beyond that.. Verastigui worked for the Republican National Committee from 2017 to 2018 and for the Senate Republican Conference from 2019 to 2020, Politico noted in an article where the plea was first reported. Way to represent San Antonio. Ruben Verastigui, 29, reportedly posted a photograph of himself at the White House just two months before his arrest on child pornography offenses. The Daily Beast reported Verastigui had worked for the Senate Republican Conference as a digital strategist until July 2020, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile, and he also designed social media ads for Donald Trump's reelection campaign. here for reprint permission. Ruben Verastigui, a former Republican Senate staffer, was arrested on child pornography charges at his home in Washington, DC. Verastigui pleaded guilty on July 9, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Part of his role involved designing ads for then-President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. Oral Motion by Defendant to Appoint Counsel, heard and granted. Please create a free account below. According to Verastigui's LinkedIn profile prior to joining the nonprofit, he worked as a digital director of the US Congress Joint Economic Committee for nine months. During an interview with the investigators, Verastigui admitted to receiving such files. Signed by Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui on 2/12/2021. (znmw), ORDER Granting 8 Consent MOTION to Continue PRELIMINARY HEARING AND FOR EXCLUDABLE DELAY by USA as to RUBEN VERASTIGUI (1). February 28, 2022 Ruben Verastigui is a former senior digital strategist at the Senate Republican Conference under Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for at least 15 years. U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta, an Obama appointee, accepted the plea but deferred on deciding whether to impose a sentence of roughly 12-to-15 years of incarceration as proposed by both parties. 3 Reviews. Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America. Ruben Verastigui, 27, who worked on Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, was previously employed as a senior digital strategist for the Senate Republican Conference and Republican National Committee. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. (ztl), Minute Entry for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui: Detention Hearing as to RUBEN VERASTIGUI held on 2/9/2021. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider He posted about how the sexual abuse of babies is his "absolute favorite." There are allegedly more Republican staffers to come. We have no knowledge of the allegations that we learned about today, the events of which took place after his tenure. If there is content you'd like to add context to or something that should be corrected, please contact us by clicking here or email us at trumpfile@protonmail.com. Ruben Verastigui, 29, received the 151-month sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta during a hearing held via video conference, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's. (kk), Arrest Warrant, dated 2/5/2021, returned executed on 2/5/2021 as to Defendant RUBEN VERASTIGUI. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Villanueva, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from Homeland Security Investigations and the Metropolitan Police Department. View More. Oral Motion for Release from Custody by RUBEN VERASTIGUI (1); heard and denied. Please use the source links to read further if a topic interests you or if you doubt its authenticity. Local Coffee owner, Robby Grubbs, was one of the first to bring good coffee to San Antonio, and obviously it has stuck since Local now has six locations. Sally Montgomery Ruben Aaron Verastigui - Secret Service Agent . described online in great detail how he liked. Trending. Be informed now before its too late. In the chat, Verastigui shared child pornography videos with another member of the group and made numerous comments about sexually abusing children, prosecutors said in a recent federal court filing. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-former-gop-and-senate-staffer-27-has-been-arrested-on-child-pornography-charges/ar-BB1dsPS5https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-trump-and-gop-aide-ruben-verastigui-charged-with-child-pornography-offenseshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Ver%C3%A1steguihttps://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-appoint-individuals-key-administration-posts-091620/. You can also find us on Twitter. According to the investigation, Verastigui used the pseudonym "Landon" and the handle name was "@somethingtaken". In a graphic and disturbing 9-page court filing, Mr. Sherwin briefly made the governments case for keeping Mr. Verastigui locked up pending the eventual outcome of his criminal proceedings. Oral Motion by the Government to Commit Defendant to Custody of Attorney General as to RUBEN VERASTIGUI (1); heard and granted. here for reprint permission. ### The arrest of Mr. Verastigui has its roots in a probe launched last June by the Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, when its special agents began looking into the online group where Landon was a member. (ztl) (Entered: 02/16/2021), NOTICE OF ATTORNEY APPEARANCE: Kira Anne West appearing for RUBEN VERASTIGUI (West, Kira) (Entered: 02/16/2021), Notice of Attorney Appearance - Defendant, Consent MOTION to Continue PRELIMINARY HEARING AND FOR EXCLUDABLE DELAY by USA as to RUBEN VERASTIGUI. Facebook. Photos. Note: It does not appear that Ruben is in any way related to Eduardo Verstegui, a famous anti-abortion advocate named by Trump to serve as a member of the Presidents Advisory Commission on Hispanic Prosperity. Ruben Verastigui, a former Republican National Committee employee, is arrested in Washington, D.C. for his involvement in a child pornography ring. The documents detail how Homeland Security special agents came across Verastigui while looking for a group of at least 18 people who were trading child pornography on an unnamed website. According to his now-deleted LinkedIn account, Verastigui previously worked as a senior digital strategist for the Senate Republican Conference and the Republican National Committee. The DC Metropolitan Police arrested Verastigui in February, after an investigation. Verastigui allegedly received videos of children being abused as part of an online group that authorities from the Department of Homeland Securitys Child Exploitation Unit dubbed Application A in court papers describing their investigation. No reply to the motion in support of pretrial detention had been docketed as of late Tuesday. Before and after working for the RNC, Verastigui worked and/or volunteered for multiple anti-abortion organizations. Verastigui was involved in a ring of at least 18 other people who were trading child pornography via a chat group on an unnamed website, in which he was accused of trading sexual depictions of children and discussing killing children. The details of the allegations against Mr. Verastigui are tragic and shocking, the nonprofit said in a statement to The Post. "He is no longer employed by the organization and we are prepared to fully cooperate with law enforcement requests in this matter to any extent needed.". In a statement of facts entered with the plea agreement, Verastigui agreed he told investigators that he was Landon and that he used the internet to view, receive and share child porn among the group. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. . Signed by Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui on 4/1/2021. A former GOP Senate staffer has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty in a case involving child pornography. (kk), ORAL MOTION by USA for Temporary Detention (3-day hold request) of Defendant RUBEN VERASTIGUI. Detention Hearing set for 2/9/2021 at 4:00 pm by telephonic/VTC before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather. The Daily Beast and The Washington Post obtained court documents on Verastigui's arrest, giving more insight into the accusations. Mr. Holt reported that an Instagram account in the name of the defendant had previously shared an image from what the user said was their home. JUST IN: Former Trump aide, RNC operative, and "pro-life" activist Ruben Verastigui has just been sentenced to 12+ years in prison for child porn. Verastigui faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and risks a maximum punishment of 20 years behind bars. Ruben Aaron Verastigui. The 27-year-old worked for the RNC in 2017 and 2018, where he worked as a senior designer on social media ads for Trump's re-election campaign, the Trump Make America Great Again Committee and Donald [] Upon completion of his prison term, Verastigui will be placed on five years of supervised release. Dolores Verastigui, born on March 17, 1932 in Laredo TX was called to be with the Lord on December 25, 2016 at the age of 84. 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