Grand Prairie, Texas Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Transporting and Shipping Child Pornography

DALLAS—James Cagle, 43, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 240 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in July 2010 to one count of transporting and shipping child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Judge Fitzwater ordered that this 20-year sentence run consecutive to the state sentences that Cagle is currently serving for convictions including indecency with a child by contact and indecent exposure. Cagle was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release.

According to filed documents, members of the Grand Prairie Police Department executed a state search warrant at Cagle’s residence in February 2009. During the execution of the warrant, they seized Cagle’s laptop computer and other computer equipment. A forensic analysis conducted by the North Texas Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory determined that the equipment contained numerous images and videos of child pornography. Cagle admitted that he received and possessed more than 600 videos and images of child pornography.

Several chat logs were introduced into evidence at today’s sentencing hearing that showed Cagle encouraged others with whom he was chatting (using Yahoo! Messenger) to molest their children.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. 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 Grand Prairie Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.