Former GOP Capitol Hill aide pleads guilty to child porn charge

Plea deal made with U.S District Court Office following investigation into possession of sexually explicit images of children

Ruben Verastigui will be sentenced later after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. (Reuters)

A man who previously worked as a GOP staffer and Republican National Committee aide has pleaded guilty to a child pornography charge.

Ruben Verastigui, 27, is facing up to 12 years behind bars after pleading guilty at at a virtual hearing with US District Court Judge Amit Mehta in Washington DC.

He owned up to having 152 videos and 50 images depicting child pornography, along with being given and sharing other sexual images of children.

Documents in the case against Mr Verstigui allege he wished to obtain images of child rape on the internet last year, according to Politico. Investigators also say he expressed wishes of killing children as he abused them.

It is believed that the investigation into Mr Verstigui is part of a potential ring of people sharing sexual images of children. Reports suggest federal law enforcement believe it is made up of 18 people. One of the alleged people involved is also thought to work in politics.

Judge Mehta acknowledged the guilty plea, but opted to delay sentencing. Prosecutors are pushing for a 12 to 15 year jail term, a part of the deal they brokered with Mr Verastigui.

At the beginning of the year, prosecutors wanted Mr Verastigui to face an additional charge over his online behaviour, but due to the terms of the plea agreement he signed with the Washington DC branch of US Attorney’s Office, he is not liable to stand further indictments.

According to documents, Mr Verastigui has a professional history with the Republican party. In 2018, he was a digital director for the Joint Economic Committee and from 2019 to 2020, he was a digital strategist for the Senate Republican Conference. Federal Election Commission also listed him as recipient of payments from the Republican National Conference between 2017 and 2018.