El Paso man accused of downloading child sexual abuse materials
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Texas Rangers arrested Michael Lee Garcia for alleged possession/promotion of child pornography.
On July 11, 2025, a Texas DPS officer alerted the Texas Rangers to an IP address in West Texas downloading and/or accessing child sexual abuse materials. The investigators subpoenaed the internet provider, and on July 28, 2025, received a physical address in far east El Paso connected to the IP.
Investigators learned that six adults were living at the listed address. Court documents obtained by ABC-7 state that Garcia and his wife were living at the house along with two other married couples.
During their investigation, Texas Rangers learned that the computer in question was allegedly associated with the BitTorrent network. The BitTorrent software in use "is known to the investigator to contain child pornography," the court documents explain. Investigators say records indicate that the computer downloaded child sexual abuse material files in May 2025.
Investigators say the child sexual abuse materials depicted several children aged approximately five to twelve years old. The files were watermarked with text identifying them as child sexual abuse materials. The watermark also indicated that the files cost $35.
Law enforcement officers carried out a search warrant at Garcia's house on August 27, 2025. Court documents state that during the search the investigators saw the "Frostwire" app on Garcia's phone.
"Michael Garcia then proceeded to tell me that he might have accidentally downloaded 'child porn' onto his phone," the Texas Ranger leading the investigation recalled in the court document.
Officers then took Garcia to a DPS office on the eastside and interviewed him. While there, Garcia signed a Miranda Warnings form and "confessed to [the interviewer] that he had viewed child pornography multiple times on his phone," court documents state.
Garcia had no recorded criminal history at the time of his arrest, officials say.
