Southeast Texas man sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A local man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison following his guilty plea to possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.
This investigation was conducted by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
“Child pornography is the permanent record of a child being sexually exploited, and this victimization continues every time that image is transmitted, downloaded, shared or viewed,” said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of HSI Houston. “We cannot restore the innocence that's been stolen from these children, but we can ensure that those who commit these horrible crimes are brought to justice.”
John Lincoln Hoblit, 58, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey to 120 months in federal prison Oct. 22. This prison sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release, including numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. Hoblit will also be required to again register as a sex offender.
Hoblit pleaded guilty to these charges Aug. 20. At the time of his guilty plea, authorities discovered Hoblit was a sex offender living in Corpus Christi, but he failed to register as required. On April 23, deputies executed an arrest warrant and a search warrant at Hoblit’s residence. During his arrest, he admitted to failing to register as a sex offender.
The search warrant led to the discovery of several digital devices, which forensic analysis later revealed images containing child pornography. Hoblit admitted as part of his plea to possessing one video depicting an adult male having sexual intercourse with two different minor females as well as 237 images of minors engaged in sexual explicit conduct with adult males.
Hoblit has remained in custody since his April arrest, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo Martinez, Southern 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 10,000 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 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.
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