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Two men have been convicted of child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Sept. 12, Dereck Wayne Winstead, 34, of Bridge City, was found guilty of possession of child pornography following a trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
According to information provided in court, in 2020, federal agents received two cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with information that an individual in Orange County had been accessing and possessing images of child pornography. An investigation revealed the accounts accessing the child pornography were connected to Winstead.
On March 30, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a consensual search at Winstead’s residence and located four electronic devices, including a custom-built gaming computer. A search of the computer by a computer forensic analyst revealed more than 300 images of child pornography including images of children under the age of 12.
Sept. 18, Michael Joseph Fontenot, 51, of Silsbee, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison by Crone.
According to public information, an investigation by the Denver Innocent Images Task Force into individuals viewing and downloading child pornography through a social media application led to Fontenot.
A search warrant was executed by federal law enforcement at Fontenot’s residence and several electronic devices were seized, including a cell phone, tablet, flash drives and a laptop. A forensic review reportedly revealed more than 600 images.
Under federal statutes, each face up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.