U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Pearland Septuagenarian Heads To Prison For Nearly 14 Years In Child Pornography Case
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas
GALVESTON, Texas – David Paul Roetcisoender, 73, of Pearland, has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions of distribution and possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Roetcisoender was convicted by a federal jury on Aug. 28, 2103, following a two-day trial and approximately two hours of deliberation.
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa, who presided over the trial, took into consideration his age as well as the large number of images involved and the length of time he was engaged in the activity. Roetcisoender was then ordered to serve respective terms of 120 and 163 months for the possession and distribution convictions, which will served concurrently for a total of 163 months in federal prison. He will then serve eight years of supervised release following completion of his prison term and will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
During the trial, the jury testimony from a detective with the Pearland Police Department who explained how he discovered several videos of child pornography over the Internet which were later traced to a computer used by Roetcisoender.
Evidence proved that on June 4, 2012, officers executed a search warrant at Roetcisoender’s residence in Pearland. At that time, an officer conducted a computer forensic preview which resulted in the discovery of thousands of images and videos of child pornography on a computer Roetcisoender used.
At the time of the search, testimony further revealed Roetcisoender admitted to downloading and viewing child pornography since the 1990s.
The jury also heard that more than 2000 videos and more than 100,000 images of child pornography were found on computers, hard drives and other storage devices seized by officers and used by Roetcisoender.
Further, the government proved that he not only possessed the child pornography but distributed it on at least two separate occasions. A Pearland computer forensic officer testified that the file sharing program used by Roetcisoender contained data that specified which specific files had been downloaded by others over the Internet from Roetcisoender’s computer.
Roetcisoender attempted to convince the jury that he did not knowingly distribute child pornography.
The jury disagreed and found him guilty on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Further, the government proved that he not only possessed the child pornography but distributed it on at least two separate occasions. A Pearland computer forensic officer testified that the file sharing program used by Roetcisoender contained data that specified which specific files had been downloaded by others over the Internet from Roetcisoender’s computer.
Roetcisoender attempted to convince the jury that he did not knowingly distribute child pornography.
The jury disagreed and found him guilty on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Roetcisoender was arrested on the federal charges on Nov. 14, 2012. He has and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Pearland Police Department investigated the case as part of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Stabe, 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Updated April 30, 2015
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