Houston Resident Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

HOUSTON—Roberto Amador has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for possessing child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Amador, 25, of Houston, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography on January 17, 2012.

Today, U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore handed him the 78-month sentence and further ordered he serve an additional 15 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. Amador will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

Amador acknowledged in the plea agreement that he possessed more than 800 images and 20 videos on June 7, 2011. These images contained children under the age of 12 engaged in sexual acts with adults, among other things.

The charges against Amador are the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Houston FBI-Innocent Images Task Force, which focuses its attention on investigating offenses involving the exploitation of children via the Internet.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack, 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”