Former teacher gets 10 years for two child pornography-related convictions

HOUSTON – A 49-year-old former charter school teacher has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions for coercion and enticement of a child and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Christopher Emerson, Katy, pleaded guilty Oct. 23, 2019.

Today, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ordered Emerson to serve a 120 months for each of the convictions. The sentences will run concurrently. He will also serve 10 years on supervised released following completion of his prison term, during which he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He has also been ordered to register as a sex offender.

On or about June 7, 2018, authorities were conducting an undercover investigation of ongoing child exploitative crimes on the internet through the use of peer-to-peer software. The investigation led them to an IP address making child pornography available for sharing.

They downloaded 14 videos with file names that included toddlers, 4-year-old and 9-year olds from that IP address depicting child pornography. In several of the videos, minors under the age of 8 and 12 are caused to engage in sexually-explicit conduct including oral penetration of a minor male by an adult male’s penis.

The IP address returned back to Emerson at an address in Katy.

On June 22, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home where they learned he was living with a minor female relative and his wife. They also seized a laptop and interviewed the child. At that time, she indicated Emerson had caused her to touch his penis was she was 6 or 7 years old.

Authorities further learned of a video of the young female, naked, in her bedroom after exiting the shower that available on Emerson’s computer media. Emerson collected and filed this video along with other child pornography videos on his computer.

He attempted to rationalize his creation of the video by claiming he set up his cell phone in the minor’s bedroom to catch her taking nude photos of herself. He claimed she was sending them to others, but the investigation revealed she had not done so.

At the time of the search, law enforcement also seized the laptop. Forensic analysis revealed he possessed one image and 34 videos of child pornography. One particular video included a minor female under the age of 5. 

Emerson has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page