A 63-year-old resident of Alvin, Texas, Robert Earl Cochran Jr., has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for distribution and possession of child sexual assault material (CSAM). U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced the sentencing following Cochran's guilty plea on December 17, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown ordered the sentence, which includes a supervised release period of ten years after prison. During this time, Cochran will face restrictions on his access to children and the internet and must register as a sex offender. Restitution will be determined later.
"The lengthy sentence imposed today is welcome news," said Ganjei. "The defendant has repeatedly demonstrated that, given the opportunity, he will unrepentantly victimize young children."
Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge at Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston, stated: "With today’s sentence we have removed an extremely dangerous child predator from the community who was an immediate threat to every child he encountered."
The investigation revealed that Cochran used multiple virtual identities for child exploitation violations between February 24, 2015, and July 16, 2019. He distributed CSAM involving children aged three to twelve and possessed such materials at his arrest.
Cochran admitted to viewing child pornography starting in 2015 after a previous prison release and actively trading it during 2015-2016 using three cellphones. Law enforcement found nine images and 54 obscene representations depicting child pornography on these devices.
Previously convicted for aggravated sexual assault of a three-year-old child, Cochran remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.