Local man heads to prison for possessing material depicting sexual abuse of children

HOUSTON – A 68-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for distribution and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Stephen Broussard pleaded guilty Oct. 26, 2022, admitting he possessed over 6000 images.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now sentenced Broussard to 130 and 120 months for the distribution and possession of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 130-month term of imprisonment. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted that distribution and possession of child pornography are egregious crimes and are not victimless. Broussard was further ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution to the victims and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Broussard will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

Broussard came to the attention of law enforcement after he made child pornography files available for download through a peer-to-peer network. Authorities obtained a search warrant for Broussard’s residence and seized his electronic devices. 

A forensic examination of his devices revealed Broussard possessed 6215 images and 109 videos of child pornography. The material includes sadistic or masochistic conduct involving children under the age of 12.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherin Daniel prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.