Abilene, Texas Man Pleads Guilty in Child Pornography Case

LUBBOCK, TX—In federal court in Lubbock on Friday, before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, Danny Randell Lott, 46, of Abilene, Texas, pled guilty to one count of interstate receipt of child pornography, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Lott faces a statutory sentence of not less than five years, nor more than 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. Judge Cummings ordered pre-sentence investigations with a sentencing date to be scheduled after that investigation is completed. Lott is in federal custody.

On September 17, 2008, Lott was indicted in this case on four counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of receipt of child obscenity, and one count of possession of child pornography. His initial appearance was scheduled for October 17, 2008, in Abilene, Texas, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Philip R. Lane. Lott, however, failed to appear at the hearing. Lott was apprehended in Lewisville, Texas in late November 2008, by U.S. Deputy Marshals. He had been living there under an assumed identity. Lott had obtained identifying information belonging to another person and used his name, date of birth, driver's license number, and social security number without consent.

In 2006 and 2007, Lott used at least two of his computers in Abilene to access the Internet to receive and view images and videos depicting minor females engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also ordered subscriptions to Web sites that provided images and videos of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case.