East Texas man pleads guilty to possessing child pornography

BEAUMONT, Texas - On Thursday, Matthew James Bodden, 25, of Nederland, Texas, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Beaumont Police Department (BPD) and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO).

According to documents filed in the case, when ICE HSI, BPD and JCSO executed a search warrant at Bodden's residence, they seized a personal computer, DVDs and a digital camera. A forensic analysis of the seized property revealed more than 600 images of child pornography.

Bodden faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.