Smith County man sentenced to 30 years for child exploitation

TYLER – A Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a press release from the desk of Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Enrique Adrian Gomez, 29, met two minor victims online in September 2021 and continued communicating with them through November 2021. Both minors were less than 13 years old at the time. Gomez communicated with the victims through text messaging and social media applications. During these real-time online conversations, the victims were persuaded to engage in prohibited, sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.

“The ease with which Gomez was able to communicate with the minor victims here is a reminder of the constant threat that social media applications can pose to children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Under the guise of online friendship, Gomez persuaded these children to engage in adult acts that no child should be doing, let alone be doing online. Our office is committed to stopping criminals like Gomez in their tracks, but the most important tool to stop online predators is an active and engaged parent. Nothing protects children better than a parent who sets and enforces limits on a child’s online activities and actively monitors their social media presence.”

Gomez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on July 30, 2025.