BEAUMONT, Texas — A federal inmate has pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography while behind bars at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont.
Jonathan Lee Edwards, 42, of Houston, is being charged with committing child exploitation violations while incarcerated and was sentenced to an additional 21 years on top of his original sentence of 23 years.
Edwards was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on October 15, 2024. Edwards was ordered to begin serving his sentence following the completion of his current 23 years sentence.
According to information presented in court, in December 2021, federal agents received information from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children about images of possible child pornography being uploaded to an online email account.
During the investigation, email accounts were found to be linked to Edwards. During the investigation, Edwards used a cell phone to send five videos containing child pornography to a person he thought was a minor. The phone was seized by correctional officers.
Based on the evidence, Edwards is responsible for possessing 477 images of child pornography while in federal custody, according to the news release.
