Grayson County Man Indicted for Producing Child Pornography

SHERMAN, Texas – A Sherman, Texas man has been indicted on charges involving the sexual exploitation of children in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.

Brian Christopher Welch, 43, was arrested on Feb. 3, 2021, pursuant to a federal criminal complaint charging him with production and distribution of child pornography.  Welch was indicted by a federal grand jury this week and formally charged with child pornography violations.

“This case shows that there is no one type of individual who preys on children.  Child sexual predators come from all backgrounds, genders, races, and ethnicities – and they are often active members of their community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.  “Parents are urged to use caution in allowing any outsider, including friends and people in positions of trust, to have unsupervised access to their children.  The Eastern District is proud of its robust partnership with federal and state law enforcement agencies, and is committed to utilizing all available resources, both nationally and internationally, to locate those individuals who use internet-based technologies to exploit children.”

According to court documents, between December 2016 and August 2020, Welch is alleged to have used digital devices to record a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Additionally, Welch is charged with distributing child pornography to another person, and with transportation of child pornography, on Jan. 29, 2021.

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

This case is being brought 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 Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller.

It is important to note that a complaint, arrest, or 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.