North Texas man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child sexual exploitation violations

PLANO, Texas — A North Texas man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations while acting as a host to international foreign exchange students.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown, Eastern District of Texas. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Carrollton (Texas) Police Department CPD.

Joseph Patrick Mosher, 50, pleaded guilty on March 19, 2019, to two-counts of sexually exploiting children; he was sentenced Oct. 2 to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan. In addition to his prison sentence, Mosher must also pay a $50,000 fine, and a $10,000 assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act; and he must forfeit $50,000 from the sale of his home.

According to information presented in court, in September 2018, a teenager known to Mosher reported to school officials that he believed he had been secretly filmed in a bathroom of Mosher’s home. CPD detectives executed a search warrant at the home and seized a number of hidden cameras and electronic devices. A forensic review of those devices revealed a number of videos of males captured in private spaces within the home. It appeared that the males did not know they were being recorded or that Mosher had obtained footage of them engaged in private or personal activities. A total of five victims were identified in recordings from Mosher’s home. Mosher’s sentence also included a conviction for communicating with a minor online, persuading the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and filming the child – again without the child’s knowledge.

“This case is another warning to parents to be aware of who their children are communicating with, and to be careful about who they allow to be around their children,” said U.S. Attorney Joe Brown. “There are threats from so many different directions these days, and the internet makes it so much easier for offenders. We have to get the message to our kids to be aware of these threats.”

“On behalf of the Carrollton Police Department, I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District for partnering with us to protect children from predators like Joseph Patrick Mosher,” said Carrollton Police Chief Derick Miller. “May this sentence bring peace to his victims and may it encourage others as yet unheard to speak out.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller, Eastern District of Texas.

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 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3,191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) 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.

HSI is a founding member 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.