GALVESTON - A 37-year-old Galveston sex offender has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for distribution and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Adam Vargas pleaded guilty April 21, 2017.
Today, Judge George C. Hanks ordered Vargas to serve 300 months in prison for the distribution charge and 240 months in prison for the possession charge to run concurrently. Vargas was further ordered supervised release for life 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. In imposing the sentence, the court noted his prior conviction of two counts of aggravated sexual assault against a minor.
Vargas came to the attention of law enforcement after investigators found evidence he was uploading child pornography to his DropBox account. A search warrant was executed on Vargas’ residence on Sep. 24, 2015, at which time investigators found the cellphone he used to upload and store the child pornography. During a forensic examination on that phone, agents found more than 2,000 images and 1,100 videos of child pornography. This was in addition to the numerous images and videos of child pornography found in his DropBox account.
The FBI and the Galveston Police Department 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, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
