Southwest Texas man faces a 10-year prison sentence for possession of child pornography following ICE HSI, local law enforcement partners, investigation

DOJ Press

DEL RIO, Texas — A Southwest Texas man was sentenced Dec. 2 to 10 years in prison for possessing over 1,000 images of child pornography.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Del Rio Police Department and the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office.

William Read, 71, of Del Rio, was sentenced to 120 months to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $105,051 in restitution. Read pleaded guilty Aug. 26, 2019, to one count of possession of child pornography.

“Child sexual exploitation is an intolerable crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “We continue our vigorous prosecution of child predators to safeguard our children and communities.”


According to court documents, in July 2018 HSI agents executed a search warrant at Read’s residence. During the search, investigators seized Read’s desktop computer and related computer media among other things. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed the presence of images and videos of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. Read possessed 1,093 images of child pornography.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rex Beasley, Stephen Kam and Sarah Spears, Western District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s fight against child exploitation in your community @HSI_SanAntonio.

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