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Child pornography investigation started by Winona Cty. Sheriff’s Office leads to federal charges

By Jason Melillo Jan 26, 2024 | 5:44 AM

(KWNO)-A child pornography investigation initiated by the Winona County Sheriff’s Office is leading to federal charges. The case started with a cyber tip in July from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The sheriff’s office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigator identified Valentin Silva Quintana of Lewiston as a suspect.

A weeks long investigation revealed Quintana was communicating with underage people on social media platforms and receiving nude photos and other images from them. According to a sheriff’s office spokesperson there are local victims and more than 60 victims overall from around the U.S. and at least one international victim. It’s unknown righht now if Quintana had in-person contact with any of the victims.

The scope of the investigation led to the sheriff’s office enlisting the help of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Department of Homeland Security. Quintana was being transported to federal court in Saint Paul on Thursday. The sheriff’s office spokesperson said it’s unclear if the local charges will be dropped to make way for the federal prosecution of Quintana.

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