North Texas man faces up to 10 years in federal prison on obscenity conviction

LUBBOCK, Texas — A north Texas man pleaded guilty Friday to a federal child obscenity offense, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the San Angelo Police Department's Special Operations Division.

Christopher Wayne Howard, 26, of Joshua, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report; a sentencing date will be set after that report is completed.  Howard remains on bond.

According to plea documents filed in the case, in March, Howard engaged in a series of online and telephone texting communications with "Jane Doe," a person he knew to be a 13-year-old girl.  During the communications, Howard often turned the subject to sexually explicit matters.  On March 13, Howard chatted with "Jane Doe" and used an online application to send her an obscene, sexually explicit photograph of an adult male.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy, Northern District of Texas, is prosecuting this case.

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 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including producing and distributing online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking children. In fiscal year 2013, 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.