A former Central Texas teacher has been sentenced to 6½ years in federal prison for using Bitcoin to purchase child pornography. Pietro Victor Giustino, 40, a former Belton High School teacher, was found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas confirmed the 78-month sentence.
Prosecutors revealed that Giustino used Bitcoin to buy illegal content from a vendor on Sept. 22, 2024. FBI agents conducted a search of his Belton home on June 4, 2025, uncovering thousands of illegal images, including those involving prepubescent children. Giustino was arrested in July 2025 and pleaded guilty in March 2026.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Wolfe also imposed a five-year supervised release term following Giustino's prison sentence and ordered him to pay $15,000 in assessments under federal victim protection laws. The investigation was led by the FBI, with assistance from the Belton Police Department and cooperation from the Belton Independent School District.