Brandon Neil Sams, Child Exploitation, Texas 2022

A chilling case of child exploitation has surfaced in Texarkana, Texas, where a band instructor has been charged with federal child exploitation violations.

Brandon Neil Sams, 46, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Boone Baxter on October 7, 2022, on a federal complaint charging him with enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice.

According to the complaint and information presented in court, from March 2022 through September 2022, Sams, while serving as a band instructor at Texas High School, allegedly attempted to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity.

On September 26, 2022, Sams allegedly attempted to obstruct or conceal information from law enforcement.

This heinous crime is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the federal government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

If convicted, Sams faces from 10 years to life in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Texarkana Independent School District. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok.

An indictment or complaint is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/texarkana-high-school-band-instructor-charged-federal-child-exploitation-violations