HOUSTON - A 29-year-old man from the North Houston area has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Christopher Lynn Persky pleaded guilty May 16, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt handed Persky 327 and 240 months for the production and distribution convictions, respectively. The sentences will run concurrently. Additional information was also presented today, including the testimony of a victim. “They teach you as a woman to watch what you wear, to never walk alone at night, to never drink too much when you’re out," she said. “My entire life I prepared for a stranger. I never prepared for you. You smiled and laughed, you bought me ice cream, you assaulted me."
Persky was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6500 to another identified victim and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
Persky first came to the attention of law enforcement after an individual identified online as CHRISPYTWEAK had sent images of child erotica to an undercover agent using the chat feature on a known child pornography site. That person was identified as Persky. At that time, he provided his full name and further claimed to work for Department of Homeland Security - Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He no longer works for TSA.
At the time of his plea, Persky admitted to taking sexually explicit photographs and a video of a two-year-old minor relative. He further emailed these images to another individual with whom he was communicating in exchange for more images of child pornography.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
