Denton County Man Guilty of Child Pornography Violations

SHERMAN, Texas – A Denton County man has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

James Buck Briggs, 48, of The Colony, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography today before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.  Briggs entered his guilty plea during his federal trial on the charges.

According to public information, in December 2021, an undercover law enforcement officer encountered Briggs in an online chat room dedicated to the sexual abuse of children.  Briggs and the undercover officer began a chat which resulted in Briggs sending the officer a video depicting child pornography involving a very young female victim.  The undercover officer was able to trace the IP address to Briggs’ residence in The Colony and a search warrant was executed.  A search of Briggs’ cellular phone revealed hundreds of images which contained child pornography.  Briggs was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 20, 2022.

Briggs faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each count at sentencing.  The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is 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 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.justice.gov/psc.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Frisco Field Office and the Plano Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lesley Brooks and Maureen Smith.

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