New Braunfels Man Sentenced to 80 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children

In San Antonio today, 20-year-old Benjamin Joost Bogard was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.

In addition to the prison term, Senior U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra ordered that Bogard be placed under supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term.

On February 2, 2019, federal authorities arrested Bogard.  The investigation showed that Bogard possessed visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children.  On May 1, 2019, Bogard pleaded guilty to one count of possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. 

“We are grateful that the court recognized the serious threat the defendant poses to the safety of the public.  Testimony and evidence presented in this case demonstrated the defendant’s fixation with committing barbaric and inhumane acts of violence against children and others.  The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and use every investigative tool to protect the public from acts of violence.  We remind the public of the important role they play in keeping our communities safe, by immediately reporting potential public safety threats to law enforcement,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs.

The FBI San Antonio’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. 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.

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