CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 A 57-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced.<\/p>\n
Todd Edward Ellison pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2024. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered the sentence, which will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. During that time, Ellison will be required to comply with numerous restrictions designed to limit his access to children and the internet.<\/p>\n
The court heard at the sentencing hearing that Ellison had previously been convicted of child exploitative offenses on two separate occasions. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. Restitution to victims will be determined at a later date.<\/p>\n
In May 2020, authorities suspected Ellison was using social media to impersonate and harass a female victim and obtained a search warrant for his residence. Investigators located and seized numerous digital media devices at that time.<\/p>\n
Forensic analysis revealed Ellison had knowingly possessed child sexual abuse material across multiple digital devices, including more than 1,500 images and 21 videos of child pornography.<\/p>\n
Ellison will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.<\/p>\n
Immigration and Customs Enforcement \u2014 Homeland Security Investigations \u2014 Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Investigations Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ana C. Cano and Jose A. Esquivel prosecuted the case.<\/p>\n
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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 lead the initiative, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood page. For more information about internet safety education, visit the resources tab on that page.<\/a><\/p>\n For the latest local news updates, click here<\/a>, or download the KRIS 6 News App. <\/a><\/p>\n