PLANO, Texas – A 50-year-old Carrollton, Texas man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.

Joseph Patrick Mosher pleaded guilty on March 19, 2019, to two-counts of sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on Oct. 2, 2019.  Mosher must also pay a fine of $50,000 and an assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of $10,000, and must forfeit $50,000 from the sale of his home.

According to information presented in court, in September of 2018, a teenager known to Mosher reported to school officials that he believed he had been secretly filmed in a bathroom of Mosher’s home.  Carrollton Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at the home and seized a number of hidden cameras and electronic devices.  A forensic review of those devices revealed a number of videos of males captured in private spaces within the home.  It appeared that the males did not know they were being recorded or that Mosher had obtained footage of them engaged in private or personal activities.  A total of five victims were identified in recordings from Mosher’s home.  Mosher’s sentence also included a conviction for communicating with a minor online, persuading the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and then filming the child – again without the child’s knowledge.

“This case is another warning to parents to be aware of who their children are communicating with, and to be careful about who they allow to be around their children,” said United States Attorney Joe Brown.  “There are threats from so many different directions these days, and the internet makes it so much easier for offenders.   We have to get the message to our kids to be aware of these threats.”

“This predator of children volunteered for a position of trust as a host parent for international foreign exchange students so that he could sexually exploit these children,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas.  “For grossly abusing that trust, he has earned the 30-year prison sentence imposed upon him after victimizing at least five of these students.”

“On behalf of the Carrollton Police Department, I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District for partnering with us to protect children from predators like Joseph Patrick Mosher,” said Carrollton Police Chief Derick Miller.  “May this sentence bring peace to his victims and may it encourage others as yet unheard to speak out.”                                                                                

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Carrollton Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller.

 

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                PLANO, Texas – A 49-year-old Carrollton, Texas man has been indicted for child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.

Joseph Patrick Mosher was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Nov. 15, 2018 charging him with sexual exploitation of a child.  Mosher appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson on Nov. 19, 2018 and was ordered to be detained until trial.

According to the indictment, in September of 2018, a teenager known to Mosher reported to school officials that he believed he had been secretly filmed in a bathroom of Mosher’s home.  Carrollton Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at the home and seized a number of hidden cameras and electronic devices.  A forensic review of those devices revealed a number of videos of males captured in private spaces within the home.  It appeared that the males did not know they were being recorded or that Mosher had obtained footage of them engaged in private or personal activities.

If convicted, Mosher faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison. 

Any minors who may have had contact with Joseph Patrick Mosher or visited his home are urged to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 1-800-804-3547.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office will take the necessary steps to protect all minors’ identities and confidential information. 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Carrollton Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller.

It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.