Houston man arrested in connection to filmed gang rape of toddlers in mall bathroom: FBI

Federal authorities have arrested a Houston man on child sex charges after videos surfaced allegedly showing him and six other men sexually assaulting two toddlers in a public restroom.

Arthur Hector Fernandez III, 29, was arrested by the FBI on Dec. 18 in Kingwood after the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) discovered videos of the incident that had been published to a private invitation-only forum on the dark web. Fernandez has been charged with sexual exploitation of children, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The graphic seven-page complaint submitted by the FBI alleges that in addition to Fernandez, six other men were observed sexually assaulting a child in a series of four videos obtained by the agency. 

The complaint states that one of the four videos was allegedly recorded in a public restroom at the Houston Galleria, where one of the children was observed lying on a changing table. It states that changing tables, public facilities, and private stalls are available at the Galleria. Fernandez was a former Galleria employee.

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the other men involved in the sex crimes.

Both child victims, aged 2 to 3, who were spotted in the videos were related to women who also worked at the mall. The store that formerly employed Fernandez had previously shut down, according to the complaint.

The complaint states that when the women could not afford child care or find a babysitter, they would occasionally bring their children to work with them. Both women considered Fernandez a friend and had previously granted him permission to supervise their children while they worked at the mall. 

Fernandez is being held at the Federal Detention Center Houston until his trial.

Andrew Edison, magistrate judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, denied Fernandez bail and said: "I cannot allow (the) defendant to abuse any other minors, and there are no conditions or combination of conditions (of release) that can alleviate a danger to the community. This is not a close call."

The complaint states that the FBI was able to identify Fernandez via two distinctive silver bracelets worn by a man in three of the recordings. According to the complaint, both women confirmed that the bracelets belonged to Fernandez, and investigators discovered photographic evidence of Fernandez wearing the bracelets on his social media accounts.

Authorities are uncertain as to when the videos were captured. One of the women told investigators that in October 2022, Fernandez accompanied the child trick-or-treating without her presence, and in December 2022, he also accompanied her relative around the mall. The other woman said that Fernandez had also accompanied her relative on a mall tour this summer.

According to the complaint, the FBI searched Fernandez's residence in early December and seized electronic devices and items that allegedly linked him to the recordings and child sexual abuse materials. He was not at home during the FBI inspection, the document stated.

Fernandez's alleged private Instagram account features two rainbow emojis in the bio.