CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — A local man is headed to federal prison after he admitted to sending photos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Daniel Ellsworth Janssen, 28, pleaded guilty October 22, 2020.
On Monday, January 25, 2021, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales sentenced him to 17-years in federal prison.
At the hearing, the court heard that Janssen had been on probation for attempted indecency with a child when he was arrested for this federal crime.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, authorities linked Janssen to an e-mail and IP address that was accessing child pornography. Law enforcement conducted a search and seized multiple electronic devices from Janssen’s home.
A forensic examination later revealed over 1,500 images and videos of child pornography on those devices. Some he had distributed using his cell phone. The majority of the images and videos located on Janssen’s devices depicted the sexual exploitation of children under the age of 10.
Janssen will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Officials say following Janssen's federal prison term, he will serve 15-years on supervised release during which time the court can impose a number of special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the internet. He has been ordered to register as a sex offender. He must also pay $3,000 in restitution for each of the three identified victims.
The Corpus Christi Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
