An Amarillo man, previously convicted of a sex offense, has been handed a substantial prison sentence after pleading guilty to possessing an extensive collection of child pornography. Ronnie Craig Lance, who is 54, will spend the next 20 years in a federal prison, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced.
The sentence was handed down following Lance's guilty plea in January this year to federal charges of possessing prepubescent child pornography. Upon investigation, it was revealed that he possessed close to 1,400 videos and over 71,000 images of child sexual abuse material on various electronic devices. He was convicted of a similar crime in 2011, at which point, he was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment following a guilty plea.
According to a Department of Justice press release, U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk sentenced Lance on Tuesday, also imposing a restitution payment of $140,000 to certain victims and lifetime supervision after his release from prison.
Homeland Security Investigations – Amarillo and the Texas Department of Public Safety were praised for their efforts in the investigation leading to Lance's sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Frausto was credited for prosecuting this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Woolam having assisted in the 2011 prosecution.
