Former Senate GOP staffer arrested on child pornography charges
Derek Hawkins and Meryl Kornfield, The Washington Post
Feb. 6, 2021
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A former Republican Senate staffer was arrested in Washington on Friday on federal child pornography charges in what investigators said was a crackdown on an online group that traded numerous illicit files and videos in recent months.
Ruben Verastigui is accused of receiving and possessing child pornography between last April and this month, according to a criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The 27-year-old was arrested Friday evening at his apartment in the District, where police executed a search warrant. Investigators said they found "several files of child pornography" on his cellphone, along with a chat conversation in which he allegedly discussed exchanging the files and videos. During an interview with investigators, Verastigui admitted to receiving some of the files, according to the complaint.