TEMPLE, Texas — James Stevens, 43, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
During sentencing on June 10, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright also ordered that Stevens pay $5,000 in restitution and be placed on supervised release for a period of ten years after he completes his prison term.
“I am thankful that we were able to put another predator behind bars. The sexual exploitation of children is one of the most critical problems facing our country, and it doesn’t get remotely enough attention,” U.S. Attorney Bash said.
Stevens pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on February 11. According to court records, information that concerns child sexual exploitation material provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the South Australian Police led HSI investigators to Stevens.
Authorities executed a search warrant in June at Stevens' home in Temple and seized his cell phone. Stevens was arrested based on outstanding state warrants but later bonded out of jail.
During a forensics review of Stevens' phone, authorities found numerous images of child pornography, as well as images of Stevens pantless, lying down on a bed next to a minor victim.
Information from these images led investigators to a home in Rockdale where the four-year-old victim lived with his father. Inside, investigators saw Stevens lying on a bed with the victim sitting next to him.
During an interview, the father stated that the victim is non-verbal, suffered from a cognitive disability and lacked specific skills that would be normally associated with a child at the age of four. The child's father also admitted that he and Stevens were in a relationship and used methamphetamine, which was also found in the home. State authorities arrested both men for the methamphetamine and notified Child Protective Services.
During this investigation, agents found about 121 images and 24 videos of child pornography on Stevens' cell phone, computer and online accounts.
“The significant sentence imposed on James Stevens sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those who exploit children. Stevens will serve almost 17 years in federal prison for his incomprehensible acts,” HSI Special Agent in Charge Folden said. “HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who victimize the most vulnerable members of our society, our children.”
HSI investigated this case with assistance from the Bell County Sheriff’s Office and the Milam County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Gloff prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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