Denton County man sentenced to 45 year federal prison sentence following ICE HSI investigation

DALLAS — An investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led to a 45-year federal prison sentence for a Denton, Texas man, announced HSI's Christopher Miller, acting Special Agent in Charge and U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.

Aliyah George Simpson, 26, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021, to five counts of production of child pornography and one count of transportation of pornography, following a joint investigation by U.S. HSI Dallas and the Flower Mound Police Department.

As presented in court testimony, members of HSI and the Flower Mound Police Department were tipped to an individual using an online cloud storage service to transport files of child pornography. In that inquiry, investigators served a search warrant at Simpson's residence, seizing several items of digital equipment. Through forensic analysis, agents located myriad images and videos of minors under the age of 10. Criminal analysts and special agents also located messages with other minors in a social media application, in which Simpson convinced the teens to engage in sexually explicit conduct, film that conduct, and then send the recordings to him.

In his plea, Simpson admitted to abusing his victims on multiple occasions. Specifically, while one victim was sleeping or unconscious, Simpson sexually abused the child and recorded the abuse on his cellular telephone. Simpson also admitted to persuading, inducing, and enticing two other minors, to film themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct and to send him the recordings. Simpson was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 15, 2020.

“This office, joined by our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, will always work tirelessly and spare no expense to detect, arrest and prosecute anyone who chooses to harm a child,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “In fact, to those who commit these evil acts, you are our priority. We appreciate those dedicated men and women of law enforcement who make it their mission to protect the children of our communities.”

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Reporting suspected sexual exploitation can help minimize or stop further victimization, as well as lead to the identification and rescue of other possible victims. To report suspicious activity or instances of child sexual exploitation, contact your local law enforcement agency.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI Dallas operations @HSI_Dallas.