A Tomball man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas.
Sean M. Doran, 53, pleaded guilty on April 24, 2025. On January 6, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt ordered the sentence after hearing that Doran had more than 500 images stored across seven electronic devices. Some of the images included sadomasochistic acts and bestiality involving minors younger than three years old.
In addition to his prison term, Doran must pay $55,000 in restitution to the victims and will be subject to ten years of supervised release following his incarceration. During this period, he is required to comply with conditions restricting his access to children and the internet. He will also be registered as a sex offender for life.
The investigation began on July 29, 2020, when law enforcement identified an online user—later determined to be Doran—sharing multiple files containing child sexual abuse material in a public Kik chat room. The content depicted children under twelve engaged in sexual acts with adults, animals, and other victims.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Doran’s residence and seized several electronic devices. Forensic analysis uncovered 62 images and seven videos containing child sexual abuse material.
Doran remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ekua Assabill prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. According to DOJ information about PSC: “U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims.” More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found on DOJ’s PSC page.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas operates from its headquarters in Houston according to its official website and covers 43 counties from Houston down to the Mexican border serving more than nine million people. The office focuses on prosecuting federal crimes such as this case while also representing the government in civil matters as detailed online. The U.S. Attorney works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies during investigations as described on its site.
For further information about internet safety education or additional details regarding Project Safe Childhood resources are available via DOJ’s official pages.
