FORT WORTH, TX—Eric Miltonhall has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to serve 240 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in August 2015 to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to the factual resume filed in the case, from approximately March 22, 2014, through April 16, 2014, Miltonhall, 40, of Missouri and most recently, Alabama, stayed with a friend who lived in Arlington, Texas. On approximately April 15, 2014, Miltonhall used his computer, which was connected to the Internet there, to send communications via a software application called Kik. During that communication, Milton also transmitted images of child pornography.

According to other documents filed in the case, after obtaining a search warrant and conducting a forensic examination, officers and agents learned that prior to his arrival in Texas, Miltonhall had accessed and deleted thousands of images and videos of child pornography, many involving toddlers and infants. Miltonhall also used encrypted devices containing child pornography that he connected to his computer.

Miltonhall had worked in Missouri as a police officer.

The case was 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/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Arlington Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem prosecuted.