Inmate Sentenced To Prison For Distributing Child Pornography
Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 6:25 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BEAUMONT, TX.- A federal inmate serving 23 years in prison for child pornography offenses was again sentenced to an additional federal prison term for distributing child pornography from a Texas federal prison.
On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Jonathan Lee Edwards, 42, of Houston, Texas, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Marcia A. Crone to 262 months in federal prison on his previously entered guilty plea to Distribution of Child Pornography.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Crone ordered Edwards to serve 262 months consecutive to his 23-year federal term of imprisonment.
According to documents filed with the U.S. District Court, in December 2021, federal agents received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding possible digital images depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children being uploaded to an email account.
Federal Agents Link Accounts To Edwards
During further investigation, investigators linked the accounts to Edwards, who is currently serving a 23-year sentence in the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas, for a past conviction for possession of child pornography.
During the investigation, federal investigators confirmed that Edwards utilized a cellular phone to send five digital video files containing child pornography to a person he believed to be a child. The cellular phone was seized by correctional officers. Further examination of the cell phone uncovered that Edwards was responsible for possessing 477 digital images depicting nude and sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children.
