A Tyler man previously convicted of a child pornography violation pleaded guilty on July 21 to possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
John Matthew Emerson, 42, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. According to information presented in court, Emerson was on supervised release for a prior conviction for possession of child pornography when he was found with a cellular phone containing additional illegal material.
Emerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided for informational purposes; the actual sentence will be determined by the court based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. Project Safe Childhood seeks to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and identify victims.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Jackson.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas works as part of the United States Department of Justice, employs about 100 staff members including roughly 50 assistant U.S. attorneys, covers 43 counties in East Texas with offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler, supports victims through dedicated services, prosecutes federal crimes and delivers civil litigation services, according to the official website.