An 80-year-old Richardson man has been sentenced to a staggering 60 years in federal prison for child sexual exploitation, as was announced by the Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham. The convict, George Kenneth Orton, Jr., faced the judgment after a jury found him guilty on two counts in October of the previous year. As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement agents unearthed a USB drive and two laptops in his residence, which were laden with child sexual abuse material.
On Wednesday, Orton stood before District Judge Brantley Starr, who imposed on the convicted the consecutive maximum sentences - 360 months for each count - despite his advanced age. In a statement obtained by the Department of Justice, Judge Starr referred to Orton's actions against the minor as "unspeakable" and expressed no inclination to lessen the statutory maximum sentence on any count. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Dallas Special Agent in Charge, R. Joseph Rothrock, emphasized the dedicated efforts of various agencies to apprehend those who perpetrate crimes against children swiftly.
Acting U.S. Attorney Meacham applauded the collective work of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office and the Richardson Police Department for their investigative efforts. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Aulbaugh and Brandie Wade prosecuted the case. The travesty that Orton's conviction illuminates is part of a broader issue, one that the Department of Justice has pledged to tackle head-on through initiatives like Project Safe Childhood, a program launched in 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation and abuse.
