West Texas man faces up to 20 years in federal prison for possessing prepubescent child pornography

LUBBOCK, Texas — A West Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to an indictment charging one count of possessing prepubescent child pornography.

This guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney John Parker, Northern District of Texas.  This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations.

Michael Patrick Redente, 40, of San Angelo, Texas, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in this case, Redente used the computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  In the course of these searches, Redente located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography. Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

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 12,000 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 2014, 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.