Skip to main content
July 22, 2013Beaumont, TX, United StatesChild Exploitation

East Texas man sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for possessing child pornography

BEAUMONT, Texas – An east Texas man was sentenced Tuesday to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales, Eastern District of Texas.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Beaumont Police Department.

Jeremiah Paul Selman, 34, from Port Neches, Texas, pleaded guilty March 21 to possessing child pornography. He was sentenced July 23 to 78 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone. Selman was indicted by a federal grand jury Jan. 10 on child pornography charges.

According to information presented in court, HSI special agents executed a search warrant at Selman’s residence in Port Neches on Oct. 26, 2011. A computer that was seized during the search was found to contain more than 600 images of child pornography. Some of these images included prepubescent children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice, Eastern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

The investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

Updated: