Southeast Texas man sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Southeast Texas man was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison following his conviction for possessing child pornography.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Robert Wayne Collins, 63, of Kingsville, Texas, was sentenced March 10 by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos to 84 months in prison. Collins was further ordered to pay a $17,500 fine, five years of supervised release, and compliance with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Collins pleaded guilty to the charges Dec. 1, 2015.

At the time of his plea, the court heard that authorities, while using peer-to-peer software, were able to successfully download various files containing child pornography from an Internet Protocol address that was associated with Collins.

In January 2015, agents executed a search warrant at Collin's residence and seized various electronic devices. Forensic analysis on those devices revealed more than 90 images and about 160 videos of child pornography. Collins admitted to using the peer-to-peer software to download child pornography.

Collins was arrested on a bond revocation warrant in November 2015 and has been in custody since that time 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 R. 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 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.