Houston-Area Man Handed 45 Years for Multiple Child Pornography Convictions
Defendant Calls Himself a “Monster” During the Hearing

HOUSTON—DJ Christopher Lowe, 37, has been sentenced to a total of 540 months in federal prison for his convictions of possession, distribution, and production of child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Lowe pleaded guilty December. 2, 2011, admitting he exploited six different children in order to produce child pornography.

Just moments ago, U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr. handed Lowe the statutory maximum of 360 months for each of three counts of sexual exploitation of children (production of child pornography) and 120 months for the possession charge all to run concurrently with each other and to the 240-month sentence for the distribution conviction. He was further ordered to serve 180 months for three additional charges of sexual exploitation of children, which will run concurrently to one another but consecutively to the other sentences imposed today for a total sentence of 540 months. Lowe will also have to serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of that prison term and pay an $8,000 fine.

Lowe spoke at the hearing and called himself a monster.

In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr. noted that someone who victimizes half a dozen children requires a sentence that would deter others from becoming the monster as Lowe described himself to be. He called Lowe’s conduct “reprehensible” and noted that each child should be considered of independent worth. He further noted that Lowe’s collection of pornographic images and videos was one of the largest he had ever seen.

The production and distribution charges occurred as far back as 2009 and June 2010, respectively, while he possessed the child pornography as recently as August 13, 2010.

Lowe’s activities were discovered when an individual was arrested on similar charges in Italy. On that man’s computer were child pornography images and chats between he and Lowe, including child pornography images/videos of Lowe’s own relatives. Based on the information obtained in Italy, a federal search warrant was executed on Lowe’s home in Houston on August 13, 2010, at which time more than 17,000 images and hundreds of videos of child pornography were found. All the children used in the production of child pornography have been identified and were, at the time of Lowe’s arrest, as young as two years old.

At the time the warrant was executed, Lowe was interviewed and admitted to downloading, possessing, and distributing child pornography. He acknowledged his communication with the Italian individual and exchanging digital images and videos of child pornography with him.

Lowe will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The charges against Lowe are the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Innocent Images Unit of the Houston FBI, 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.”