Russell Dean Hill, Child Exploitation, Texas 2019

A 53-year-old Sulphur Springs, Texas man has been sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

Russell Dean Hill pleaded guilty on May 3, 2019, to distributing child pornography and was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on October 2, 2019. Upon his release from the Bureau of Prisons, Hill will serve 8 years on federal supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to information presented in court, in September of 2018, law enforcement in Hopkins County, Texas received a tip that Hill, who had previously been convicted of child exploitation offenses, had uploaded child pornography onto an online social media platform. A team of law enforcement officers from Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, Sulphur Springs Police Department, and the FBI executed a search warrant at the residence where Hill was residing in November 2018.

Law enforcement discovered that Hill was trading child pornography on multiple platforms, using a digital device that he owned and possessed. During the investigation, Hill also told law enforcement that he was in the process of trying to privately adopt what he believed to be an 11-year old boy in order to teach the child about sex.

“The level of depravity we discover never ceases to amaze,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown. “Thankfully, there are law enforcement officers watching for these types of things, and doing everything they can to prevent these crimes.”

Hill’s case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. This case was investigated by the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Tyler Resident Agency, and the Sulphur Springs Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller.

Russell Dean Hill, the 53-year-old Sulphur Springs man, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison. The sentence includes 8 years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender upon his release from prison. The defendant had previously been convicted of child exploitation offenses and had uploaded child pornography onto an online social media platform in September 2018.

As part of his sentence, Hill will also serve 8 years on federal supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender. The investigation into Hill’s activities was conducted by the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Sulphur Springs Police Department, with the assistance of the FBI-South Bend, Indiana.

U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown stated, “The level of depravity we discover never ceases to amaze. Thankfully, there are law enforcement officers watching for these types of things, and doing everything they can to prevent these crimes.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno added, “The defendant was not only a prolific collector and distributor of child pornography, but also a registered sex offender who posed a threat to the community he lived in and individuals he interacted with online. The FBI will continue working with our state and local partners to actively identify and pursue sexual predators who endanger the safety of our children.”

This case is a prime example of the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The investigation and prosecution of Russell Dean Hill will serve as a warning to others who engage in similar activities.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/hopkins-county-man-sentenced-child-sexual-exploitation-violations