Austin man sentenced 5 years in prison for possession of child porn

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — A five-year prison sentence is being handed down to an Austin man accused of having and distributing child pornographic material.

According to court documents, 31-year-old Tucker Smith had been searching for, accessing, downloading, storing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) since approximately 2018.

“This sentencing sends the message that we will continue to pursue and prosecute the predators who engage in the heinous and indefensible act of possessing child sexual abuse material,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “Thank you to our partners at the FBI for their investigation and helping us seek justice for the dozens upon dozens of child victims exploited in this case.”

Smith said he kept between 15 and 20 gigabytes of the child sex content that depicted minors ranging from two to three years old to 15-16 years old.

Investigators seized and submitted around 904 images and 3,402 videos of suspected CSAM to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protect children from those who seek to exploit their innocence,” said Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich Jr. of the FBI San Antonio Division. “These types of cases serve as a reminder of the important role the public plays in keeping our children and communities safe by immediately reporting potential public safety threats to law enforcement.”

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Devlin prosecuted the case.