Victoria man admits to child pornography charge as part of Project Safe Childhood

VICTORIA, TX -- A 40-year-old Texan has pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Authorities had linked Paul Thomas Rosales to explicit materials found on a peer-to-peer network. The area task force investigation soon led them to his residence in Victoria.

They conducted a search and seized numerous digital devices. Forensic analysis ultimately revealed approximately 200 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, some of which included children under the age of 5.

Today, he admitted to receiving the pornographic images.

Sentencing has been set for Dec. 11 before U.S. District Judge David S. Morales. At that time, Rosales faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

The FBI – Corpus Christi Resident Agency and Victoria Police Department conducted the investigation along with the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Manning is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.