70-year-old West Texas man pleads guilty to federal child pornography crime

LUBBOCK, Texas — A 70-year-old West Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to an indictment charging one count of access with intent to view child pornography.

This guilty plea was announced by John R. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is conducting this investigation.

John Everette Murdock, 70, of Lubbock, Texas, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Murdock used a computer to access, with intent to view, various child pornography images. He used file-sharing computer software to search for child pornography, which he viewed and then deleted. HSI special agents seized his computer and hard drive while executing a search warrant at his residence in late August 2014.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy, the Northern District of Texas, is in charge of the prosecution.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE 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-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

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.