A Denton County sexual predator was sentenced today to 50 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Adam Donald Bennet, 36, pleaded guilty in April to one count of sexual exploitation of children following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations. He was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge John McBryde.

“Homeland Security Investigations’ tentacles extend globally, and in this case, resulted in the lengthy federal prison sentence of a previously convicted sex offender,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas.  “With HSI attaché offices worldwide, we routinely share leads with our law enforcement partners to identify and investigate many different types of crimes — including and especially those targeting the most vulnerable members of society, our children.”

According to court documents, authorities began investigating Mr. Bennett in June 2018, when he began online chatting with an undercover officer. During their communications, Mr. Bennett acknowledged committing sexual acts with minors, according to the criminal complaint. He also sent the undercover officer video recordings of his abuse of a minor child residing in north Texas.

This case involved the coordinated efforts of the Eastern District of Texas and Northern Districts of Texas, Homeland Security Investigations, the Flower Mound Police Department, Denton County Sheriff’s Office, Denton County District Attorney’s Office, Wise County District Attorney’s Office, and Bridgeport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem prosecuted the case.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative designed to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The initiative 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.