United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

TARRANT COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO NEARLY 18 YEARS
IN FEDERAL PRISON ON CHILD PORN CONVICTION

FORT WORTH, Texas — Joe McDonald, of Fort Worth, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to 210 months (17.5 years) in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. McDonald pled guilty in February to an indictment that charged him with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. Judge McBryde also sentenced McDonald, 48, to a lifetime of supervised release to follow his prison sentence.

Prior to the indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth in December, McDonald was in state custody on related charges in Johnson County, Texas.

McDonald admitted possessing five still images from the Internet of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. All of the images involved males, including sexual contact between an adult male and an infant male child.

McDonald will also be required to forfeit property, including three laptop computers, digital cameras and hard disk drives used to commit his offenses.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

U.S. Attorney Roper commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fort Worth Police Department and the Cleburne Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis prosecuted the case.

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