Troy Dewayne Daniels Guilty of Child Porn Distribution

TEXARKANA, Texas — Troy Dewayne Daniels, a 32-year-old man from Texarkana, Texas, pleaded guilty on August 6, 2020, to distributing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox announced. The case exposes a calculated effort to exploit minors online, using social media platforms to groom a child and trade illicit images with what he believed was another predator — an undercover law enforcement officer.

Court documents reveal Daniels used social media apps in October 2019 to initiate contact with an undercover agent. During the exchange, he openly discussed his campaign to groom a prepubescent girl for sexual abuse, stating he was “hoping” to go “[a]ll the way” with her. He admitted to consuming child sexual abuse material “for a while” and sent the officer an image of child pornography, claiming the girl depicted resembled his intended victim. In return, he requested non-pornographic photos of the officer’s fictional daughter.

The digital trail didn’t stop there. Days later, Daniels escalated, asking if he could “play” with the fake child over Snapchat. That same month, federal agents executed a search warrant at his residence. Inside, they seized electronic devices containing more than 600 images of child pornography — including prepubescent minors, infants, toddlers, and depictions of sadistic, violent sexual abuse.

Daniels pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline M. Craven. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted to distributing child pornography and agreed to pay restitution to his victims, register as a sex offender, and face a life term of supervised release following any prison sentence. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 20 years in federal prison, though the final sentence will be determined after a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas emphasized its commitment to child protection amid rising online threats. “One in five children per year receives an unwanted sexual solicitation online,” officials stated. “At any given time, 50,000 predators are active on the Internet seeking children.” The office promotes its Project Safe Childhood initiative to combat such crimes, offering tools and resources at justice.gov/usao-edtx/project-safe-childhood.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok is prosecuting the case. As digital predators grow bolder, law enforcement warns that no space — not classrooms, libraries, or homes — is immune. Daniels’ case underscores the urgent need for vigilance, technology monitoring, and aggressive prosecution to protect the most vulnerable.