North Texas man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography

FORT WORTH, Texas — A North Texas man was sentenced Friday to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.

This sentence was announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Keller (Texas) Police Department, and the Hood County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office.

On Dec. 30, 2016, U.S. District Judge John McBryde sentenced Robert Eugene Sanders, 74, of Hood County, Texas, to 360 months in federal prison, fined him $10,000, and ordered him to pay nearly $65,000 in restitution. Sanders pleaded guilty in July 2016 to one count of producing child pornography. He has been in custody since his arrest in May 2016 on a related federal criminal complaint. According to documents filed in his case, in August 2011, Sanders knowingly used, persuaded, and induced two prepubescent female victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct that he photographed.

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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

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.