A Houston man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his heinous involvement in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the dark web. 37-year-old Robert Alexander Shouse faced justice for maintaining a CSAM website that shielded the identities of abusers and circulated sexually explicit images and videos of minors, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The obscene operation was thoroughly investigated and led to Shouse's arrest in 2019, after law enforcement officials seized his website and ended its dark web activities. The FBI and several local Texas law enforcement agencies found, that during a search of Shouse's residence, over 117,000 images and more than 1,100 videos revealing children in explicit situations. Forensic examination also confirmed the sexual exploitation of at least seven minors known personally to Shouse, including a nine-year-old he abused for over six years.
Further investigation brought to light that Shouse's transgressions were not confined to anonymous, faceless victims of the web. He was revealed to have engaged in direct sexual abuse, creating CSAM of a minor beginning from when the child was nine years old and carried on the abuse for six years. He had groomed the child with money and gifts, ultimately coercing the victim's family with financial enticements.
Shouse pleaded guilty to multiple charges including two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of possession of child pornography. Alongside his sentence, Shouse is mandated to serve 10 years of supervised release, pay $153,500 in restitution to the victims, and register as a sex offender, after his imprisonment.
The case was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at addressing the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The collaborative effort that brought Shouse to justice included invaluable assistance from both the Dutch National Police and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, pointing to the global scope of work needed to tackle these crimes. Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division highlighted the commitment to protect the most vulnerable, stating, "Today’s sentencing is more than just a punishment. It’s a message to the community that the FBI will always work with our partners to ensure there is one less predator out there victimizing the most innocent among us — our children." according to a statement obtained by the Justice Department.
