Texas man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography

DALLAS — A Texas man discovered with 110,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) pornography faces 10 years in federal prison for possession of illicit materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah and Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas made the announcement.

Timothy Lynn Vandeventer, 55, was sentenced in the Northern District of Texas for receipt of Child Pornography on Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade. He pled guilty in Nov. 2020.

According to court documents, HSI special agents learned that Vandeventer was downloading CSAM from the internet to an IP address at his residence in Alvarado, Texas.

Vandeventer purchased child pornography on the internet through a website advertising CSAM, downloading it to his laptop and external hard drives to ease access to the illicit content. Vandeventer also printed images of the illegal sexual exploitation materials for his viewing.

During the investigation, a forensic analysis of Vandeventer’s computer discovered 110,000 images and 62 videos of CSAM, including numerous photos of prepubescent minors and minors less than 12-years-old.

Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations Dallas’ Child Exploitation Group led the investigation with assistance from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane Read prosecuted the case.

HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Task Force, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse. One of HSI Dallas’ top priorities is to prosecute those involved in any facet of Child Exploitation.

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.