South Texas man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography
SAN ANTONIO — A South Texas man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John F. Bash, Western District of Texas. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Timothy Robert Beasley, 51, from Del Rio, Texas, was sentenced Feb. 8 by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses who ordered Beasley to serve 120 months in prison. In addition, Beasley must also serve 10 years of supervised release after he completes his prison term; he must also pay $20,000 restitution to his victims. On Nov. 30, 2016, Beasley pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
“Protecting children from predators who seek to exploit them is always a priority for Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners,” said Shane Folden, special agent in charge of HSI San Antonio. “Child exploitation is a global issue that takes many forms and directly impacts the United States and our communities.”
According to court documents, on Dec. 15, 2015, HSI special agents executed a search warrant at Beasley’s residence and seized several home computers, related media and cellphones. A subsequent forensics examination of the seized materials revealed more than 120 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit activity.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Watters, Western District of Texas, prosecuted 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 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3,191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) 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.
HSI is a founding member 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.
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