Date: 11-20-2015

Case Style: United States of America v. Justin Benedict Morales

Case Number: 6:15-cr-00020-C-BG

Judge: Sam R. Cummings

Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Lubbock County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Steven M. Sucsy

Defendant's Attorney: Helen M Liggett-FPD

Description: Lubbock, TX San Angelo Man Sentenced to 235 Months in Federal Prison on Child Pornography Conviction

Justin Benedict Morales, 41, of San Angelo, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 235 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in August 2015 to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to plea documents filed in the case, in November 2014, Morales used the Internet to send at least eight images of prepubescent child pornography via the online instant messaging client, Yahoo Messenger. Morales used several Yahoo IDs to transport and trade images and videos of child pornography. His laptop computer and hard disk drive were seized when special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and the San Angelo Police Department, executed a search warrant at his residence in May 2015.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

ICE HSI, the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the San Angelo Police Department investigated.

Outcome: Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 235 months in prison.

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Defendant's Experts:

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