Lancaster Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Offense

Defendant Downloaded and Shared 800-1,000 Files of Child Pornography

DALLAS—Terry Don Jackson, 55, of Lancaster, Texas, pleaded guilty this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to an information charging one count of transporting and shipping child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Jackson, who remains on bond, faces a statutory sentence of not less than five years, nor more than 20 years in federal prison, up to a $250,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for April 25, 2012, before Judge Solis.

According to documents filed in the case, Jackson admitted using the Internet and peer-to-peer file-sharing software to share and transmit images of child pornography to undercover agents on at least four separate occasions in 2010. When FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at his home in March 2011, they seized his computer which he used to facilitate his possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography. When interviewed, Jackson admitted that he has downloaded and shared approximately 800-1,000 files of child pornography, including images of children as young as 8 to 10 years old, engaged in sexual acts, and that he had approximately 100 “friends” with whom he was sharing files. He admitted knowing that some of the images and videos included images of prepubescent minors and material that portrayed sadistic and/or masochistic conduct.

This case 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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 Projectsafechildhood.gov

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and the Plano, Texas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa J. Miller is in charge of the prosecution.