A Houston man, Robert Alexander Shouse, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for crimes involving child sexual abuse material. Shouse, aged 37, had pleaded guilty to multiple charges including sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison handed down the sentence.

The court was presented with evidence of seven victims, one of whom Shouse sexually abused and recorded without consent. The victim, present at the hearing, described how Shouse exploited their vulnerability by portraying himself as a helpful figure after the victim's parents were incarcerated.

Shouse was ordered to pay $153,500 in restitution and will serve a decade under supervised release post-incarceration. During this period, he must adhere to conditions limiting his internet access and contact with children. He is also required to register as a sex offender.

“Robert Shouse is the embodiment of evil,” stated U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “He used money and gifts to sexually abuse a nine-year-old child for six years."

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri condemned Shouse’s actions: “The defendant’s sexual exploitation of vulnerable children is despicable.”

Special Agent Douglas Williams from the FBI emphasized the ongoing trauma caused by such crimes: “Children are re-victimized as long as documentation of their sexual abuse is on the internet."

Shouse was identified in 2018 as an administrator for a dark web site facilitating child sexual exploitation while concealing user identities. Authorities shut down this website in 2019 following an investigation that uncovered over 117,000 images and more than 1,100 videos depicting explicit conduct involving minors.

During investigations at his residence in January 2019, law enforcement discovered extensive evidence against Shouse including imagery depicting abuse of babies and toddlers.

Authorities found that Shouse had abused one minor for six years beginning when the victim was nine years old and created numerous images and videos documenting this abuse.

The FBI-Texas City led the investigation with support from local agencies and international partners like the Dutch National Police and UK National Crime Agency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo alongside Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a DOJ initiative targeting child sexual exploitation since 2006.