LUBBOCK, Texas --- Billy Ray Doyle, 59, of San Angelo, Texas, appeared in federal court in Lubbock, Texas, today and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Doyle faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Judge Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report with a sentencing date to be set after the completion of that report. Doyle has been in custody since his arrest on Dec. 19, 2012.
In late November 2012, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) noticed an advertisement posted on an Internet message board entitled “Looking for company 18-25ish -m4m," and determined that it was posted by Doyle. During ensuing email conversations between Doyle and an undercover agent who posed as a 15-year-old male, Doyle discussed with the undercover agent such things as showering together, lying naked on a bed together and possibly engaging in other sexual activity. The undercover agent’s age was discussed several times and Doyle repeatedly promised that a potential sexual relationship would remain secret. On Dec. 15, 2012, Doyle emailed the undercover agent a sexually explicit photograph of himself. Doyle was arrested a few days later at a convenience store where he and the undercover agent had agreed to meet.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources."
ICE HSI is in charge of the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
