Briana KoenemanThe nephew of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro was arrested and charged with 22 counts related to child pornography Thursday.
"Twenty-seven-year-old Jeremi Alicea is accused of pandering sexually oriented material to a minor." (Via WJXT)
Alicea was also charged with possessing a criminal tool, which WKYC says was his laptop computer.
NBC reports the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case, and court records show Alicea's alleged crimes took place between Sept. 17 and Oct. 8 2013.
Police say the investigation was in no way related to Castro, who hanged himself in a jail cell last September after pleading guilty to kidnapping and raping three women over the course of ten years. (Via CNN)
This is the second time someone linked to Castro has been accused of sex crimes.
Back in December, one of Castro's former neighbors made headlines after he was sentenced to life in prison for murdering two women and kidnapping and raping children. (Via The Plain Dealer)
WEWS reports Elias Acevedo, who lived about a block away from Castro's so-called "house of horrors," pleaded guilty to the 297 counts against him. He was given 445 years in prison for his crimes.
Police were able to nab Acevedo while they were re-examining disappearances of women in Cleveland after Castro was convicted. Alicea's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 13.
