My Incarcerated Cousin

Gary at my wedding in August 2004


Gary in March 2008 when I went to see him in prison


When I first started this blog I briefly talked about a cousin who I have that is incarcerated. Many of you know the reason he is incarcerated and many of you don't. Today is the day I feel like talking about him!

Let me start by telling you a little about his past and what he has achieved. His name is Gary Hernandez and he is 28 years old. He was valedictorian of his high school class and went on to receive a full ride scholarship to Stanford University. He graduated with honors from there and received a double Bachelors degree- one in Urban Studies, and one in Business Management.He also received a Masters degree in Psychology. He also completed these 3 degrees in 4 years!

Once he was done with Stanford he went into the Army, was stationed in El Paso, where he was a Master Sargent. He got married in 2006 and started a new life as a married man.

Before he got married he had an addiction. His addiction was to internet pornography. Keep in mind, I was VERY close to my cousin and I had NO IDEA that he even had a problem, nor did the rest of my family. To make a REALLLLY long story short he had sexual relations with three seventeen year old girls when he was 24. These encounters where ALL consensual, and they where all video taped and pictures where taken, again, all consensual. Because of his addiction to internet porn he put these pictures and videos on the internet and attempted to make profit from them. An FBI agent pretended to be a "potential customer" who was interested in purchasing these items. This is where he got busted. He was convicted of child pornography and each photo/video he distributed added time onto his sentencing.

I went to his sentencing in September 2006 and saw two of the three girls in question. Trust me when I say this- you could NOT tell that they where minors. They where 17 at the time. In the state of Texas legal consent to have sex is 16. However, on the federal level, you must be 18. 18 is the age to have sexual intercourse, and allow permission for pornographic pictures to be distributed of yourself, whether it is via web, cell phone etc... He ended up getting sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison. In the federal system you do NOT have the option for parole, so unless he can prove he was misrepresented (which he was) by his lawyer, or get approved for an appeal (which he as already tried and been denied) he will be serving his full 20 years.

Since he has been incarcerated (3 years) he has changed his life for the better. He lives his life for Jesus Christ now. He realizes what he did wrong and he also realizes how his story has definitely changed his way of thinking. He has admitted to me that before he was an over cocky guy who treated women like trash. Now he see's the importance of women, family, and the gospel.

Since he has been incarcerated his wife has filed for a divorce. She was aware of EVERYTHING before they got married, however, he had not been convicted of anything at the time they said there vows. I can not condemn her for what she has done, because I am not in her shoes and I do not know how she feels.

Keep in mind, I am not saying that what my cousin did was OK in any way. He deserved to be punished for his crime. However, I do not believe the punishment fits the crime. You see people who murder other people, or commit these heinous crimes and get MAYBE 10 years. But he received 20 years for having and taping/photographing sexual relations with seventeen year olds and distributing this media on the internet. When you hear CHILD pornography, you think of a child... These girls where not children and they where NOT raped or bribed into anything. All three where also aware that he was distributing this stuff via the web. One of the girls, till this day, has a myspace page with pornographic pictures of herself posted...

Needless to say, he has turned his life around and COMPLETELY serves God. I can say he is a changed man.

Please pray for him that he receives some type of leniency with the law. Once he gets out of prison his plan is to become a counselor for inmates, and also counsel inmates who where incarcerated for several years and are now in the free world- to help them adjust to real life and get jobs! His psychology degree will help him in the endeavour.