A McAllen man has been ordered to federal prison for his role in receiving and distributing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
James Archie Wells III, 63, pleaded guilty to the crime on December 2, 2021. Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Wells to serve a 180-month sentence to be immediately followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
The court heard and considered Wells’ previous convictions in Texas state court for indecency with a child and possession of child pornography. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane noted that Wells had just finished serving his previous sentences a few months before he began re-offending.
The investigation began when Wells resided at a halfway house in Edinburg. Authorities learned that he had been viewing child sexual abuse videos and images on his phone. Soon after, they seized Wells’ electronic devices, which included 371 videos of child pornography.
Wells admitted to using the dark web to download child sexual abuse materials on his phone and other multiple devices. The court assessed sentencing enhancements for the number of videos, age of the victims, and the sado-masochistic nature of the videos.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Edinburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Mitchell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Wells will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Related Federal Cases
- James Puckett, Child Pornography Transport, TX 2023 · Texas
- Daniel Ramirez-Tobias, Receipt of Child Pornography, Texas 2023 · Arkansas
- Jesus Salvador Lara-Perez, Receipt of Child Pornography, Texas 2024 · Michigan
- James Jeffrey Schroeder, Child Pornography Receipt, VA 2023 · Texas
- Jimmy Gordon, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2023 · Arkansas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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