MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – A 38-year-old Montgomery County man has pleaded guilty to charges of sexually exploiting a child as well as possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
James Aubrey Zachary Wasson faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, as well as up to 10 years for possession of child pornography.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office said authorities identified Wasson after discovering over 500 files of child pornography he had uploaded between March 2019 and March 2021. One folder contained a series of 51 photographs, all taken on a single date in December 2020. Some showed him in a state of sexual arousal next to a female child. He also appeared to be fondling her under her clothing.
A search of Wasson’s cellphone confirmed it was the device he used to produce the series of sexually explicit photographs. The cell phone also contained other files of child pornography taken between May 2020 and May 2021.
The victim also identified Wasson and recalled when he took the photographs.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks accepted the plea and set sentencing for Jan. 4, 2024.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wasson has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Bauman is prosecuting the case, which was brought 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.