HOUSTON – A 40-year-old previous Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison following his admission that he received and possessed child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Joshua Tannery pleaded guilty Nov. 16, 2020.
Today, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced him to 97 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information including a victim impact statement detailing the sexual abuse Tannery committed on a child. The court noted he had a duty to the victims whose voices are not always heard. He hoped the prison term discouraged others from following in his footsteps, gave Tannery the opportunity to change and showed there were consequences to Tannery’s conduct. He will also serve five years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Tannery will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
In September 2019, law enforcement initiated an investigation of child pornography sharing which led them to Tannery. They executed a search warrant and seized his electronic devices. Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children, some as young as 10 years of age.
Following Tannery’s arrest, a sexual assault victim came forward reporting that Tannery had abused her years ago.
Tannery was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahra Jivani Fenelon is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.