West Texas teacher sentenced to 20 years for child exploitation as result of HSI El Paso investigation
ALPINE, Texas — A federal judge in Alpine sentenced a Valentine man on Jan. 24 to 20 years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for distributing child sexual abuse material.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents investigated the case with the assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
According to court documents, Albert Douglas Ackley, 60, uploaded and shared 10 files containing child sexual abuse material over a mobile messaging app.
The app flagged the files and sent them to the Internet Crimes Against Children database for law enforcement investigation. Special agents executed a search warrant at Ackley’s residence, where they found multiple devices containing prepubescent child sexual abuse material.
At the time of the investigation, Ackley was teaching math to students in grades seven through 12 at an area public school.
Special agents arrested Ackley on March 15, 2022, and he is in federal custody. On Aug. 12, 2022, he pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography.
“This sentence shows that HSI special agents are laser focused on doing our part to bring to justice those who victimize children,” said HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola. “HSI is most appreciative of the collaborative partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety that is a force multiplier to combat this horrific crime of child exploitation.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Ellis prosecuted the case.
HSI is 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 more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 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’s mission @HSIElPaso.
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