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Crime & Courts

Texas National Guardsman Sentenced to 10 Years for Child Pornography Possession

Estin Cole West, 25, was sentenced in federal court in Del Rio, Texas, for possessing child sexual abuse material.

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 3, 2026, 2:41 p.m. ET
Developing · checked 55 min ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Sep 3, 2026, 2:38 p.m. ET — checked 55 min ago.

A Texas man was to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. The sentencing occurred on September 3, 2026, in Del Rio, Texas. According to court documents, Estin Cole West, 25, operated a Google account that had been identified as saving 81 videos and images of suspected child sexual abuse material in November 2023 while he was living in Laredo. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations revealed the Google account, IP address, and two associated email addresses all belonged to West. HSI agents also learned that West was employed by the Texas National Guard and had recently been stationed at a military installation in Del Rio. During an interview, agents located multiple videos depicting child sexual abuse material in a locked folder on West's phone, as well as a Telegram application containing several batches of such material. A forensic analysis of West's phone returned 512 images and 726 videos depicting child pornography, including images of bestiality and prepubescent children. West was arrested on December 6, 2024, and pleaded guilty on March 24, 2025. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nallely Duarte and investigated by ICE HSI. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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