Rockport Man Convicted for Producing Child Pornography

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Calvin Nesmith, 28, of Rockport, has entered a guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child, otherwise known as production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

In June 2015, Nesmith was communicating with a person he believed was the mother of two minor female children. In reality, he was actually talking to an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent from Laredo. During the course of the communications, Nesmith made arrangements to meet and engage in sexual activity with the mother’s minor female children.

Nesmith also sent sexually explicit photographs depicting images of child pornography through text messages and emails to the undercover agent. The images were taken of a 14-year-old female while she was sleeping.

He was apprehended as he arrived at the designated meeting place. At the time of his arrest, Nesmith had several electronic devices and condoms with him. A forensic search of those electronic devices led to the discovery of an electronic image depicting Nesmith involved in sexually explicit conduct with a female minor.

Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack accepted the guilty plea today and set sentencing for Jan. 21, 2016, at which time Nesmith faces a minimum of 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison. Upon completion of any prison term imposed, Nesmith also faces a maximum of life on supervised release during which time the court can impose a number of special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the Internet.

Nesmith was arrested on the federal charges in September 2015 and has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending his sentencing hearing.

The charges were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, 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."