James T. Jacks
Acting United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

DALLAS MAN ARRESTED IN UNDERCOVER STING OPERATION
PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

Defendant Faces Up to 40 Years in Federal Prison, Without Parole

DALLAS — Rodney Earl Hensch, 57, of Dallas, pleaded guilty today to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Hensch faces a statutory sentence of not less than 15 years, or more than 40 years, in federal prison. He could also be ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay on October 19, 2009.

According to documents filed in court, Hensch admitted that on May 18, 2009, he requested two catalogs that advertised child pornography videos from what he thought was a child pornography distributor. The two catalogs described videos that contained sexual acts between minor boys. Hensch requested these catalogs be sent to him at his home in Dallas, where he alone resided.

On May 28, 2009, Hensch received the catalogs and on June 1, 2009, he ordered two DVDs, purported to contain lewd, lascivious and sexually explicit acts between minor boys, and a preview reel, for a total price of $109.90. Hensch included $110 cash, along with the order form, and requested that they be mailed to his home.

On June 11, 2009, a member of the U.S. Postal Service delivered the package containing what was purported to be the child pornography videos that Hensch ordered. Hensch answered the door and signed for the package. He admitted to Inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) that he had ordered what he thought was child pornography. He also stated that he had previously purchased child pornography via the mail and that Inspectors would find child pornography images and videos in his home. A search of his residence revealed several DVDs that contained a total of 234 still images and 49 videos of child pornography of prepubescent boys.

 Hensch has been in federal custody since he was arrested on June 11, 2009, by U.S. Postal Inspectors.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

Acting U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the investigative efforts of the USPIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille E. Sparks is prosecuting the case.

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