West Texas man pleads guilty to transporting child pornography

LUBBOCK, Texas — A west Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of transporting child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas announced this guilty plea. This case was investigated by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Dallas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Angelo Police Department’s Special Operations Division.

Larry Richie Fields, 45, of Wingate, Texas, has been in federal custody since his arrest in January on related charges. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of not less than five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing will be set at a later date.

According to documents filed in the case, on Oct. 25, 2014, Fields used the Internet to transport two images of child pornography using an online social networking service. Over a period of years, beginning no later than 2012, Fields used various social networking services and online storage services to post and store images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Fields used multiple usernames to trade, collect, transport and receive child pornography.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lubbock, 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.