A 68-year-old Houston man has been handed down a hefty prison sentence for his crimes involving child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani revealed. Stephen Broussard will serve a 130-month term, following his plea on Oct. 26, 2022, in which he admitted to possessing over 6,000 disturbing images and a trove of videos.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal was stern, highlighting the severity of Broussard’s offenses, which included material of the most sadistic nature involving very young children. Judge Rosenthal ordered Broussard, to pay $36,000 to the victims, his punishment reflects the gravity of the transgressions that, as the Department of Justice states, are far from victimless.
Broussard's fall began after law enforcement discovered his distribution of illegal content via a peer-to-peer network, leading them to obtain a search warrant and eventually seize his electronic devices. A thorough forensic examination laid bare the vast extent of his criminal library: 6,215 images and 109 videos depicting sexual abuse of children under 12, some engaging in sadistic or masochistic conduct.
Post-incarceration, Broussard will be on supervised release for the rest of his life, facing stringent restrictions designed to curb any access to the internet, and most importantly, children, he must also register as a sex offender. Homeland Security Investigations spearheaded the enquiry that brought Broussard to justice and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherin Daniel, prosecuted the case, which falls under Project Safe Childhood — an initiative aimed at stamping out the epidemic of child exploitation.
For those seeking more information about the proactive efforts to protect children from such predators, the Project Safe Childhood initiative offers resources and education on internet safety.
