HOUSTON—William Butler Myers, 43, has been ordered to federal prison for 236 months for attempted production of child pornography involving a 14-year-old female, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Myers, of Meadows Place, entered a plea of guilty Nov. 21, 2013.

Today, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon ordered the prison term which will be followed by a life term of supervised release. During that time, the court can imposed a number of special conditions designed to protect the children and prohibit the use of the Internet. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

The charges are the result of evidence found on a phone Myers took in for service at a cell phone repair shop. An employee had called law enforcement after he saw what he believed to be images of child pornography on the phone. Law enforcement reviewed the images and subsequently obtained a warrant for Myers residence in Meadows Place, at which time additional evidence was discovered and seized.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement was eventually able to identify the victim.

Myers has been detained since his federal arrest on June 3, 2013, after the court found him to be a flight risk and danger to the community. He will remain there pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The investigation was conducted by members of the Innocent Images Unit of the Houston FBI, including members of the Houston Police Department, which focuses its attention on investigating offenses involving the exploitation of children.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri 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.”