A former math teacher in Texas has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison after he was found guilty of sending graphic photos to an undercover agent posing as a teenager. Orlando Solis, 47, was convicted on charges of access with intent to view a visual depiction involving the sexual exploitation of a prepubescent minor, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
McClatchy News reached out to Solis’ attorney for comment Nov 30 but did not immediately hear back.
In January, Solis began communicating with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl on a social platform called Whisper. The person he was talking to was actually an undercover agent from the Army Criminal Investigation Division, according to court records. “The conversations were often sexual in nature, with Solis sending links to pornography sites, describing sexual acts he wanted to engage in with her, and sending graphic photos of himself. He also informed her that he had a ‘hidden’ folder on his phone for pornography,” the news release said.
Investigators found child sexual abuse material on his phone showing children as young as five and six, prosecutors said.
Officials learned that Solis was a teacher, and he was arrested on Feb 2. He was a math teacher at Chapin High School, according to the school’s website, KFOX reported.
The El Paso Independent School District officials told KTSM in a statement that the FBI Office of El Paso reached out to them on Feb 2 about an investigation into an employee at Chapin High School. “Before (that day), the district was unaware of any pending charges or allegations against the employee,” the statement said. “El Paso ISD will continue to cooperate with the FBI as requested. We continue to make the safety and security of our students and staff a high priority.”
Horizon City is about 20 miles southeast of downtown El Paso. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
