United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

DALLAS MAN SENTENCED TO 15 IN FEDERAL PRISON
ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTION

Defendant Arrested in Undercover Sting Operation

DALLAS — Rodney Earl Hensch, 58, of Dallas, was sentenced this afternoon by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 15 years in prison, following his guilty plea in July to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. In addition, Judge Lindsay sentenced Hensch to serve a lifetime of supervised release. Hensch has been in federal custody since he was arrested on June 11, 2009, by U.S. Postal Inspectors.

At today’s sentencing hearing, an individual provided testimony that Hensch, who was his Boy Scout leader at the time, molested him when he was a boy. In addition, at today’s hearing, evidence was presented that Hensch was convicted of five offenses of indecency of a child in 1989 when he molested five children under the age of 14. Four of those children were students of his when he worked as a substitute school teacher. Hensch received a deferred sentence which was later revoked in 2000 and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was still on parole for those offenses when he committed this federal offense of conviction.

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

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.

1 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.

This case 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 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

U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the investigative efforts of the USPIS and the Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille E. Sparks prosecuted the case.

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