Host Parent For Foreign Exchange Students Sentenced For Child Sexual Exploitation Violations

PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — A North Texas man who hosted international foreign exchange students was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations.

Joseph Patrick Mosher, 50, pleaded guilty on March 19, 2019, to two-counts of sexually exploiting children; he was sentenced Oct. 2 to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan. In addition to his prison sentence, Mosher must also pay a $50,000 fine, and a $10,000 assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act; and he must forfeit $50,000 from the sale of his home.

"This predator of children volunteered for a position of trust as a host parent for international foreign exchange students so that he could sexually exploit these children," said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas. "For grossly abusing that trust, he has earned the 30-year prison sentence imposed upon him after victimizing at least five of these students."

According to information presented in court, in September 2018, a teenager known to Mosher reported to school officials that he believed he had been secretly filmed in a bathroom of Mosher's home. CPD detectives executed a search warrant at the home and seized a number of hidden cameras and electronic devices. A forensic review of those devices revealed a number of videos of males captured in private spaces within the home. It appeared that the males did not know they were being recorded or that Mosher had obtained footage of them engaged in private or personal activities. A total of five victims were identified in recordings from Mosher's home. Mosher's sentence also included a conviction for communicating with a minor online, persuading the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and filming the child – again without the child's knowledge.

"This case is another warning to parents to be aware of who their children are communicating with, and to be careful about who they allow to be around their children," said U.S. Attorney Joe Brown. "There are threats from so many different directions these days, and the internet makes it so much easier for offenders. We have to get the message to our kids to be aware of these threats."