Texas married couple sentenced to combined 140 years in prison for conspiracy to produce child pornography, other crimes against children

DALLAS - A husband and wife from Big Spring, Texas, were sentenced
Friday to a combined 140 years in prison for crimes against multiple
children.

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San
Angelo, Texas, investiated the case with the assistance of the Howard
County Sheriff’s Office and the High Technology Investigative Unit
within the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section
(CEOS).

Christopher James Regan, 38, a former shipping logistics
manager, was sentenced to 90 years in prison after pleading guilty in
October 2019 to conspiracy to produce child pornography and two counts
of producing child pornography.

Tanya Marie Regan, 35, was
sentenced to 50 years in prison after her October 2019 guilty plea to
conspiracy to produce child pornography and possession of prepubescent
child pornography.  The sentences handed down in the Northern District
of Texas, also included lifetime terms of supervised release for both
defendants.

According to court documents, Christopher and Tanya
Regan sexually abused and produced child pornography of multiple
children, and they possessed and distributed child pornography to one
another as well.  The Regans also engaged in graphic discussions about
the sexual abuse of children over several online platforms. 

In
plea papers, the pair admitted that at Christopher Regan’s direction,
Tanya Regan repeatedly videotaped herself sexually abusing children for
Christopher Regan’s sexual gratification.

When law enforcement
seized electronics from the home, several graphic videos had been
deleted, but were still stored in the recycle bin or on unalloted space
on various SD cards. Undeleted videos were stored in a computer folder
titled “users\tanya_000\pictures\privatevids\minor.”“This
is one of the most despicable cases of child exploitation and abuses of
trust I have seen in my law-enforcement career,” said Ryan L. Spradlin,
special agent in charge of HSI Dallas. “Even the most hardened criminal
would likely take exception to this kind of heinous behavior. No
sentence is long enough for these two individuals, and sends a clear
message to others who sexually exploit vulnerable children: We will come
after you and hold you accountable for your reprehensible actions.”

The
following agencies provided substantial assistance with the
investigation: HSI Lubbock and HSI Tyler, Texas; Tom Green County
Sheriff’s Office;Texas Department of Public Safety, and the National
Center for Mission and Expoilted Children.

“All the agencies
involved worked diligently in this case. Without strong working
relationships many of these horrendous crimes may get overlooked,” said
Howard County Sherrif Stan Parker. “These are some of the worst crimes
enforcement officers have to investigate, and it is gratifying to have
agencies work together to accomplish the main goal and that is keeping
the kids out of harm’s way. I hope we can continue to work together to
accomplish the goals needed to fight this battle. We ask that you keep
the young innocent victims of this crime in your thoughts and prayers as
they try to move forward with their lives.”

Trial Attorney Kyle
P. Reynolds of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Howey and Jeffrey
R. Haag prosecuted the case along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Russell H. Lorfing.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator , an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 25,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children.

Former police officer sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography

DENVER – A former police officer was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing images of child pornography.

U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn, District of Colorado, announced the sentence. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Colorado Department of Adult Parole and the Denver Police Department.

David Delaney, 29, of Golden, Colorado, was also ordered pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim of his crime. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Delaney was remanded to custody of the United States Marshal Service. HSI Special Agent in Charge Steven W. Cagen joined in today’s announcement.

According to court records, the defendant’s plea agreement and publicly available employment information, Delaney was an officer with the Red Rocks Community College Police Department prior to his arrest. In June 2018, law enforcement officers in Colorado from four agencies independently discovered Delaney’s computer offering child pornography for distribution online via a file-sharing program. Each of these officers downloaded files from Delaney’s computer and confirmed that the files were images and videos of child exploitation, including many graphic videos of child sexual assaults.

On July 31, 2018, and Aug. 3, 2018, search warrants were executed by the Golden Police Department and HSI at Delaney’s residence. Delaney was not present during the search because he had been traveling internationally. Authorities seized electronic media, including an SD card that had been hidden in Delaney’s bedroom. The SD card revealed a deleted folder containing remnants of a video depicting the sexual assault of a minor girl by an adult man. Officers also discovered a shelf in Delaney’s bedroom that contained pictures depicting Delaney and a child, along with various notes and memorabilia involving Delaney and the child. Further investigation revealed that Delaney had access to another child. During the sentencing hearing, the Court found that Delaney had engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse of the second child and that he was grooming the first child for abuse.

On Aug. 6, 2018, Delaney returned to the United States and was found to be in possession of various electronic media which was searched pursuant to a federal search warrant. Child pornography as well as remnants of several file-sharing programs were found in deleted space on that media.

“These actions are reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “As a police officer, the defendant took an oath to uphold the law. Today, the law was upheld, and this defendant is held to account.”“Plain and simple, this criminal’s disgusting actions stripped these victims of their innocence and dignity,” said Steven Cagen, special agent in charge of HSI Denver. “HSI special agents are highly skilled and trained to use the most advanced technology available to locate, identify and investigate these criminals. We aggressively work with community members and our law enforcement partners to rescue these innocent children and prosecute their exploiters.”

U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore pronounced the sentence. The case was investigated by HSI in collaboration with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Golden Police Department, the FBI, the Durango Police Department and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.

In fiscal year 2019, more than 3,500 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

This matter is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources."

For Internet safety information for educators, parents, and children alike, please visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians to learn about HSI’s iGuardian program.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.