South Texas man faces 15 years in prison for possessing over 1,000 videos and images of child pornography
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A local man was sentenced Friday to 180 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography, following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force.
Chance Wallace, 47, from Brownsville, was ordered to serve 15 years in federal prison to be followed by eight years of supervised released. Wallace will also have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He has also been ordered to register as a sex offender.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, who handed down the sentence considered statements of various victims describing how Wallace’s actions caused them continued harm. Judge Rodriguez noted the seriousness of the offense and the need to protect the public from Wallace’s conduct. Wallace pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2019, to possession of child pornography.
“This repugnant exploitation of innocent children has no place in American society. HSI will vigorously pursue anyone involved in furthering the exploitation of children by downloading videos and images of child pornography to the fullest extent of the law,” said Timothy Tubbs, deputy special agent in charge of HSI Laredo. “HSI is committed to aggressively work these types of cases to ensure predators are identified, arrested and face justice.”
According to court documents, in October 2015, authorities launched an investigation targeting child pornography sharing on the internet, which led them to Wallace. The following month, HSI conducted a search at his residence and seized a computer and an external hard drive. Forensic analysis on the computer later revealed approximately 525 images and 497 videos of child pornography.
Wallace remains in federal custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ana C. Cano, Jason Corley and Joe Esquivel, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.
HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (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.
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