A Kansas resident has been sentenced for distributing child sexual assault material while in Laredo, Texas. Terry Lee Trower, 44, from Madison, Kansas, received a sentence of 146 months in federal prison for his crimes. U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei made the announcement following Trower's guilty plea on September 10, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña determined that the severity of the content shared by Trower warranted a substantial sentence. In addition to his prison term, Trower will undergo ten years of supervised release with strict conditions to limit his interactions with children and access to the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
"In order to completely eliminate this terrible industry of exploitation, authorities need to target not just the supply side of the equation, but also the demand side," said Ganjei. "As the defendant learned, if you committed a federal offense in the Southern District, we’re going to find you, wherever you are, even if it’s out of state."
The case began on December 13, 2023, when law enforcement identified an online user sharing files containing child sexual assault material in a public Kik chat room. The materials involved depicted children under 12 years old engaged in various sexual acts with adults and animals. At that time, Trower was located in Laredo but was later arrested at his home in Kansas after admitting to sharing child pornography he found on Kik.
Trower remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The FBI led the investigation into Trower's activities. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine A. Cortez prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.