Houston, TX– A man from Houston has received a 30-year prison sentence after admitting to the sexual exploitation of a 9-year-old and serving as an administrator for a dark web site featuring child sex abuse materials, according to federal authorities.
On Thursday, Robert Alexander Shouse, 37, received a sentence for the production and possession of “child sexual abuse material (CSAM),” as stated in a release from the Justice Department. In June, Shouse entered a guilty plea on multiple charges, including two counts related to the sexual exploitation of minors, one count of attempted exploitation, and one count concerning the possession of child pornography, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
In 2018, law enforcement officials began to take notice of Shouse after he was identified as an administrator for a CSAM website operating on the dark web, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The release stated that the identities of users on this website were maintained in secrecy.
The Justice Department stated that Shouse “managed the website that enabled users to share links to images and videos of CSAM.” According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the links provided access to various websites, including file-hosting platforms that contain downloadable images and videos related to child sex abuse.
In 2019, federal authorities took action to seize and shut down the website’s operations, according to the release.
In January 2019, a search warrant was executed at Shouse’s residence, leading to the recovery of several electronic devices that held more than 117,000 images and over 1,100 videos depicting child sex abuse, as reported by the Justice Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that more than 4,000 images depicted the sexual abuse of infants and young children.
Authorities discovered images and videos involving seven underage victims with whom Shouse had a personal connection, as stated in the release.
Authorities discovered that Shouse had been sexually abusing one of the victims for a duration of six years, starting when the victim was just nine years old, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In a calculated move to gain the victim’s confidence, Shouse formed a friendship with the child and provided financial support and presents to their family, according to the Justice Department. Shouse produced more than 925 images and 33 videos depicting the victim in a state of sexual abuse, with some of the disturbing photographs featuring the child adorned with a dog collar, as stated in the release.