U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DALLAS, TEXAS
CONTACT: 214/659-8600
www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn

JUNE 9, 2006

 

LUBBOCK MAN SENTENCED TO 87 MONTHSON FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTION

Lubbock, Texas, resident, Paul Mark Burton, was sentenced this morning in Lubbock, Texas, to 87 months imprisonment, announced United States Attorney Richard B. Roper. In addition the Honorable Sam R. Cummings, United States District Judge, ordered that Burton serve a life term of supervised release and register as a sex offender. Burton, age 24, pled guilty in February 2006, to one count of possession of child pornography and has been in federal custody since his arrest in January 2006, on related charges outlined in a federal criminal complaint.

In documents filed in Court, Burton admitted that he used Yahoo! Instant Messenger Service, an interactive computer service, to chat with persons he then believed to be minor females. Most of these females represented themselves to be from 13 to 16 years of age. While using the Internet to chat with minor females, Burton often sent sexually explicit images to these minors, and in return, often received images purporting to be of the girls with whom he was chatting. Some of the images received from these girls were sexually explicit.

U.S. Attorney Roper commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lubbock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven M. Sucsy, of the Lubbock, Texas, United States Attorney's Office.