WACO, TX – In Waco today, a federal judge sentenced 33-year-old Temple, Texas resident Lydia Brynn Christensen to 188 months in federal prison for possessing and distributing images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children including those of a female child under the age of two, announced U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer; FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division; and Temple Police Chief Shawn Reynolds.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright ordered that Christensen pay $11,000 in restitution to her victims and be placed on supervised release for a period of 10 years after completing her prison term.
On June 2, 2020, Christensen pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
According to court records, authorities executed a federal search warrant at the defendant’s residence on August 30, 2019, based on information they had received about the contents of her cell phone. During the search, authorities seized the phone. A forensic search of the phone revealed the presence of numerous images and videos depicting child pornography, including those of a female child under the age of two engaged in sexually explicit conduct with an adult male. Also, authorities discovered numerous communications on the phone whereby Christensen had solicited, transmitted and received child pornography.
The FBI and the Temple Police Department Special Crimes Unit conducted this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Gloff 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.