LUBBOCK, TX—Three defendants, convicted on child pornography offenses in unrelated cases, were sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

Rocky Joe Williams, 37, of Littlefield, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following his guilty plea in July 2014 to one count of transportation of child pornography. Williams admitted that he used his cell phone and the Google Picasa web photo-sharing site on the Internet to transport numerous images of child pornography. Judge Cummings remanded Williams into custody.

Parker James Chapman, 23, of Lubbock, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in July 2014 to one count of attempted possession of child pornography and aiding and abetting. Chapman admitted that he used his cell phone to communicate with a person he believed to be a minor, under age 18, after responding to an online personal ad. That person, however, was an undercover police officer posing as a 15-year-old female. Chapman requested a photograph of the minor, but after he received a non-sexual image of a minor, Chapman requested something “more interesting.” Chapman admitted that in making this request, it was his intent to receive an image of child pornography. Chapman must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on December 3, 2014.

Christopher Anthony Lovato, 30, of Lubbock, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty in July 2014 to one count of possession of child pornography and aiding and abetting. Lovato admitted that he used his cell phone to possess numerous images of child pornography that had been received from the Internet. Lovato was remanded into custody.

The cases were 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 /and click on the tab “resources.”

The Lubbock Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the FBI investigated the cases, and the Littlefield Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety also assisted in the investigation of the Williams case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted.