Nov. 17, 2011

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HOUSTON - Troy Alexander Meredith, 36, has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Meredith pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on May 19, 2011.

In handing down the sentence this morning, U.S. District Judge Gray Miller also ordered restitution in the amount of $2,000 be paid to each of four victims whose images can be found on the Internet and were in Meredith’s possession. Following his prison term, Meredith will be on supervised released for 15 years.
           
The U.S. Secret Service investigation began after Meredith was arrested by the Houston Police Department for possession of counterfeit currency in April 2010. After interviewing Meredith, federal agents went to his house, conducted a search and seized a computer and a printer. On May 20, 2010, agents secured a state search warrant to search the computer for evidence of counterfeit manufacturing during which images containing child pornography were discovered. On June 7, 2010, agents secured a federal search warrant to search the computer for child pornography at which time a total of 2682 images and 29 videos containing child pornography were located. The images included prepubescent children engaging in sexual intercourse as well as bondage.

Meredith has been in federal custody since his arrest where he will remain pending transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future where he will serve his sentence. 

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Stabe and investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, 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, 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.