Photographer Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs

TYLER, Texas - A 54-year-old McKinney, Texas photographer has been sentenced to federal prison for sexual exploitation of children in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

            Todd Fleming pleaded guilty on October 2, 2014, to sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.  Fleming will be required to register as a sex offender and serve a life term of supervised release upon his release from federal prison.

            Fleming was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 17, 2013, and charged with twenty-four counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

            According to information presented in court, between 1999 and 2007, Fleming, knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced eight minor females to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.
“Sexually exploiting children is a crime that has traumatic effects on the most vulnerable members of our society," said Katherine Greer, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Dallas.  “HSI will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend individuals who sexually exploit our children and deprive them of their innocence.
“Today, Todd Fleming received a sentence that was both fair and appropriately severe,” said U.S. Attorney Bales.  “I sincerely hope that the punishment, and the shame, experienced by this defendant will serve as a warning to others attempting to victimize our children.  We will continue to have zero tolerance for child pornographers in the Eastern District of Texas.”

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations (DHS-HSI) and Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division (DPS-CID).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld is prosecuting this case.