The justice system has dealt a Crookston man a heavy sentence for his heinous crimes involving a child. Fifty-two-year-old Jorge Alberto Torres, Jr. will spend over two decades behind bars—262 months to be exact—after pleading guilty to the production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced.

According to court documents and Torres's own plea agreement, his campaign of abuse was revealed when a minor victim—whom he had been sexually assaulting for years—bravely informed school officials and the Crookston Police. Torres not only coerced and threatened the child into complying with his sexual demands but also recorded the abuse with a hidden camera strategically placed in a bathroom. After the victim's report, law enforcement swiftly arrested Torres, who then asked a family member to conceal or destroy the Android cell phone and hidden video camera he used for his dark deeds. Despite these efforts to evade justice, police recovered the damning evidence and, upon securing a search warrant, found the cell phone held graphic content of sexual abuse he inflicted, as reported by U.S. Attorney's Office.

Judge Katherine M. Menendez handed down the sentence yesterday in U.S. District Court, marking the end of a court battle that began with Torres's guilty plea on December 20, 2023. Following his long prison term, Torres will be under supervised release for two decades, monitored closely to prevent further offenses against children.

The successful wrap of this case came as a collaboration between the Crookston Police Department and the FBI's Minneapolis Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Bejar and Emily A. Polachek led the prosecution, holding Torres accountable for an unforgivable breach of trust and exploitation of innocence.