Registered sex offender heads to prison after distributing child pornography

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX -- A 28-year-old Corpus Christi man has been ordered to federal prison after he admitted to sending photos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Daniel Ellsworth Janssen pleaded guilty Oct. 22, 2020.

Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered him to serve a 204-month sentence. 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. Following his 17-year federal prison term, Janssen 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. Again, 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.

Authorities had linked Janssen to an e-mail and IP address that was accessing child pornography. Law enforcement conducted a search, at which time they seized multiple electronic devices from Janssen’s Corpus Christi residence. 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.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Corpus Christi Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Popejoy prosecuted the case which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC 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 PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.