HOUSTON - A 31-year old resident of Webster has been ordered to prison following his conviction on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Jake Nicholas Luera pleaded guilty June 27, 2017.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner ordered him to prison for a total of 136 months after which he must immediately serve 15 years of supervised release, 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.
Luera came to the attention of law enforcement following an investigation dubbed Operation Back to School in August 2015 which targeted the online solicitation of minors. During the operation, Luera engaged in online chats with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old female and drove to a location where he believed he would make sexual contact with her.
Following his arrest, authorities searched his home in Webster. They discovered and seized various items of computer media which a forensic analysis revealed more than 4,000 images and 75 videos of child pornography involving young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These videos included children under the age of 12 involved in sadistic conduct, including bondage.
At the time of his plea, Luera admitted he received and saved the images and videos on multiple storage devices.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation at the Pearland Police Department in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack, 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
