Perv Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Attempted Assault & Possession of Lewd Images of a Child

MULESHOE, TX – A Muleshoe man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.

Felipe Mata-Benavidez, 25, was found guilty in April of exploiting an 11-year-old girl. Mata-Benavidez attempted to sexally assault the girl in her home.

While the assault was happening, the victim’s mother walked in and saw Mata-Benavidez was trying to have sexual intercourse with the victim. The mother stopped the assault and fled with the victim. A neighbor heard about the assault and contacted the police.

Muleshoe Police interviewed Mata-Benavidez and looked through his cellphone where he had messages from the victim.

In the messages, Mata-Benavidez told the victim to send him explicit photos and when she refused, he bullied until she did. Mata-Benavidez said the child victim was beautiful and told her not to “share with anybody else… because it’s mine” then asked for more lewd pictures.

U.S. District Judge James Hendrix sentenced Felipe Mata-Benavidez to 30 years in federal prison on Thursday, July 22, 2021.