Special to The News

BEAUMONT — A Beaumont man has been found guilty of child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown said Thursday in an issued statement.

Willie Lampley, 45, was found guilty of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography by a jury following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.

Lampley began searching for and downloading child pornography using Peer-to-Peer file sharing networks in July 2017, according to information presented in court. Lampley stored more than 300 videos and 100 images of children being sexually abused on the hard-drive of his computer. Some of the material depicted children as young as infants and toddlers.

Under federal statutes, Lampley faces a minimum of five years and up to 30 years in federal prison at sentencing. Sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. After the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation, a sentencing hearing will be scheduled.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood uses federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

The Beaumont Police Department and Homeland Security investigated and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell E. James and Christopher T. Tortorice prosecuted.