VICTORIA, TX—Richard R. Montez, 32, been ordered to prison following his conviction on one count of distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Montez pleaded guilty February 18, 2014.

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey considered the need to protect the public and deter future criminal conduct and handed Montez a sentence of 97 months in federal prison. The sentence will be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which time he will have to comply to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. Montez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

The FBI had identified Montez in an undercover operation out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He had been on a file sharing network with 214 suspected files of child pornography he had made available for sharing.

On October 24, 2013, FBI agents and local officers executed a federal search warrant on his Portland home. At that time, Montez admitted to using a file sharing network to acquire child pornography.

Forensic analysis of a laptop Montez owned led to the discovery of more than 500 images and more than 250 videos of child pornography.

Previously released on bond, Montez was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

FBI investigated with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Portland Police Department.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lance Duke, 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.”