Ex-Harris County Deputy Andrew Craig Sustaita Held on Child Porn Charges

Andrew Craig Sustaita, a 30-year-old former Harris County deputy, was taken into federal custody today on charges of producing child pornography. The arrest marks a stunning fall from grace for Sustaita, who once wore a badge to protect the public in Spring, Texas — now he’s behind bars accused of exploiting the most vulnerable.

A federal grand jury indicted Sustaita on February 1, 2017, on one count of production of child pornography. He was arrested today and is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years, along with a $250,000 fine.

If convicted, Sustaita will face up to a lifetime of supervised release after any prison term. That supervision can include strict conditions such as Internet bans and monitoring, all designed to prevent further access to children. He would also be required to register as a sex offender — a permanent label that follows him for life.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities did not release details about the evidence leading to the indictment, but production charges typically involve creating or distributing explicit material involving minors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The program unites federal, state, and local agencies to hunt down offenders and rescue victims across the country.

An indictment is not a conviction. Andrew Craig Sustaita is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas emphasized that all defendants are entitled to due process, even as the public grapples with the betrayal of trust posed by a law enforcement officer turned accused predator.