East Texas man convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material following HSI Beaumont investigation

BEAUMONT, Texas — An East Texas man used to be convicted of child sexual abuse material-related fees Sept. 12 following an investigation by way of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Beaumont.

Dereck Wayne Winstead, a 34-year-old resident of Bridge City, used to be discovered responsible of ownership of child pornography following a jury trial within the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

According to information introduced in courtroom, in 2020, federal brokers won two cyber pointers from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with information that a person in Orange County have been having access to and possessing child sexual abuse material.

A next investigation by way of HSI Beaumont printed the accounts having access to the child sexual abuse material have been hooked up to Winstead. On March 30, 2022, regulation enforcement officials performed a consensual seek at Winstead’s place of abode and positioned 4 digital gadgets, together with a custom-built gaming laptop. A pc forensic analyst searched the pc and came upon greater than 300 pictures of child sexual abuse material, together with pictures of kids below the age of 12.

Under federal statutes, Winstead faces as much as two decades in federal jail at sentencing. The courtroom will resolve Winstead’s sentence according to the advisory sentencing pointers and different statutory elements. A sentencing listening to will likely be scheduled after the crowning glory of a presentence investigation by way of the U.S. Probation Office.

This case used to be prosecuted by way of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Grove and Jonathan Lee.

For extra news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively examine child exploitation and child pornography in Southeast Texas apply us on X, previously referred to as Twitter, @HSIHouston. 

HSI is the major investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), chargeable for investigating transnational crime and threats, in particular the ones legal organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure wherein world industry, shuttle, and finance transfer. HSI’s team of workers of greater than 8,700 staff is composed of greater than 6,000 particular brokers assigned to 237 towns all over the United States, and 93 out of the country places in 56 international locations. HSI’s world presence represents DHS’ greatest investigative regulation enforcement presence out of the country and one of the most important world footprints in U.S. regulation enforcement.