Date: 03-12-2025

Case Style:

United States of America v. Robert Earl Cochran Jr.

Case Number:

Judge: Jeffrey Brown

Court: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Galveston

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Galveston, Texas criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Repeat child sex predator
Repeat child sex predator sentenced to 25 years for possession of child sexual assault material

A 63-year-old Alvin resident has been sentenced for distribution and possession of child sexual assault material (CSAM), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Robert Earl Cochran Jr. pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown has now ordered him to serve a total of 300 months in federal prison. Restitution will be determined at a later date. He will also serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

“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. Every day that he is behind bars, as opposed to walking the streets or accessing the internet, is a win for the community.”

“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,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “After spending time in prison for sexually assaulting a child, he brazenly admits to getting out and actively seeking, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials with absolutely no remorse for the physical, psychological and emotional trauma inflicted on the innocent children who were victimized to produce them. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our special agents in Galveston, he is returning to prison and will no longer be free in the local community to harm children.”

The investigation revealed Cochran utilized multiple virtual identities to commit violations concerning child exploitation.

From Feb. 24, 2015, to July 16, 2019, he had distributed, received and possessed CSAM of children approximately three to 12 years of age. He was also discovered to be in possession of child pornography at the time of his arrest.

Cochran admitted he began viewing child pornography in 2015, shortly after his release from prison, and heavily traded it between 2015-2016. He also acknowledged using his three cellphones to download and view the material. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement located nine images and 54 obscene representations of children depicting child pornography on those devices.

He is a registered sex offender after serving a lengthy sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a three-year-old child.

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

HSI conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse is prosecuting the case 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.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 300 months in federal prison.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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