Houston Man Convicted of Child Pornography Charges
Houston Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography
A Houston man has been convicted of producing child pornography after a 14-year-old girl was found with sexually graphic text messages and a motel key card on her person.
According to court documents, Daniel M. Layne, 33, of Houston, was arrested in October 2013 after authorities discovered a trail of digital evidence linking him to the crime. The investigation, which spanned several states, began in Maine when the girl’s mother discovered the key card and explicit messages on her daughter’s phone.
Layne, who had met the girl online, had taken sexually explicit photos of the young girl, which were later found on his electronic devices during a search of his Houston residence. A forensic analysis of the devices revealed the images, and Layne was subsequently charged with production of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner accepted Layne’s guilty plea on [date] and has set sentencing for May 13, 2014. Layne faces at least 15 and up to 30 years imprisonment, as well as a $250,000 maximum fine. Upon completion of his prison term, he will also face a maximum of life on supervised release, during which time the court can impose special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the Internet.
Layne has been in custody since his arrest and will remain there pending his sentencing. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Westbrook, Maine, Police Department.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab ‘resources.’
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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