Texas man who portrayed Santa pleads guilty to child porn

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX -- A South Texas man who dressed as Santa Claus and made holiday appearances with youngsters has pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography.

Reynaldo Ramirez of Corpus Christi faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he's sentenced later this year.

The 38-year-old Ramirez on Monday pleaded guilty in the child porn case involving more than 1,000 images of youngsters on several digital devices.

Ramirez was arrested in December during a raid on his home, where investigators also found a Santa Claus costume. Prosecutors in Corpus Christi say Ramirez performed as Santa Claus for the past 15 years throughout South Texas.

Ramirez remains in custody pending sentence.