Allen Man, Clay Melton Denton, Sentenced To 20 Years In Federal Prison For Child Pornography
SHERMAN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - An Allen man was sentenced to federal prison for multiple child pornography charges on Thursday, Jan 6, US Attorney Brit Featherston said.
Clay Melton Denton, 57, was found guilty on June 11, 2021 of distributing, possessing, and receiving child pornography. US District Judge Amo L Mazzant III sentenced him to 20 years in federal prison on Jan 6 and ordered him to pay a fine of $10,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
According to court documents and testimony from the trial, undercover officers with the Plano and Garland Police Departments received child pornography from an unknown user via an online platform in January and March 2018.
The user was traced to Denton's home in Allen, Texas. FBI agents obtained a search warrant for the home, which was served on April 25, 2018.
During the search, agents found multiple digital devices, including server racks, network area storage devices, laptops, hard drives, cell phones, and other digital storage media. They later testified that the entire second story of the house was filled with floor-to-ceiling bookcases containing digital devices, manuals, and other related items.
Forensic analysis of the seized devices took almost a full year. When the data was finally analyzed, agents discovered tens of thousands of images and videos of child pornography.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the US Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
This case was investigated by the Plano Police Department, Garland Police Department and the FBI Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Marisa Miller and Maureen Smith.
