Federal Jury in Midland Convicts Artesia, New Mexico Man of Downloading Child Pornography

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that a federal jury in Midland this afternoon convicted 37-year-old Dennis Lawrence Bliss, of Artesia, New Mexico, of child pornography charges.

The jury found Bliss guilty of one count of possession of child pornography and nine counts of receipt of child pornography. Evidence at trial showed that Bliss worked as a mechanic at a gas processing plant in Andrews County, Texas. On several occasions between October 2010 and February 2011, Bliss utilized his work laptop to access the Internet and download images of children, ranging in age from 8-10 years old, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A forensic analysis of the laptop computer revealed the presence of approximately 500 images of child pornography.

Bliss, who remains in federal custody, faces a statutory mandatory minimum of five years in prison, up to 20 years in prison, on each of the receipt counts, and up to 10years on the possession count. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Austin M. Berry is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.