HOUSTON, TX – A 23-year-old Rosenberg man is facing a lengthy federal prison sentence after admitting to a depraved obsession with child pornography. Ryan Glen Colburn entered a guilty plea today to charges of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution, and possession of horrific imagery, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez announced.
Colburn first surfaced on law enforcement’s radar after he was identified as a recipient of child pornography sent by another individual already under arrest. A subsequent raid on Colburn’s residence yielded a chilling discovery: a forensic examination of his computer revealed a stash of over 1,100 images and 200 videos depicting young children engaged in sexually explicit acts. The material included depictions of children under the age of 12, along with scenes of bondage and violence. Disturbingly, some of the images were confirmed to feature known victims identified through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The depravity didn’t stop there. Colburn didn’t just possess this filth; he created it. Investigators uncovered 25 images and six videos of a two-year-old minor, constituting further instances of child pornography. A search of Colburn’s Dropbox account added another 600 images and 400 videos to the growing mountain of evidence, proving a deliberate and ongoing pattern of abuse.
During his plea hearing, Colburn confessed to taking the sexually explicit photographs and videos of the two-year-old victim. He further admitted to actively trading these images with other individuals online – a network of predators facilitating the exploitation of vulnerable children. This wasn’t a passive collection; it was an active participation in a horrific cycle of abuse.
U.S. District Judge Nancy F. Atlas accepted Colburn’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for July 5, 2017. He now faces a minimum of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison for the production of child pornography. Additionally, he could receive up to 20 years for distribution and another 10 years for possession. Each charge also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation was spearheaded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Internet safety resources can also be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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