CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Corpus Christi man that used the profile name "Horndog" on an internet website is going to prison for 10 years. The 41-year-old Timothy Traut pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography back in February earlier this year. He was sentenced today.
Read more: Local as "Horndog" on internet pleads guilty to child porn possession
At the hearing, the court heard that Traut possessed images of children he knew and that he superimposed the children’s faces to images of child pornography. The court also read two letters from the parents of those children explaining how the crime impacted their lives.
Traut was further ordered to serve 15 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
In March 2017, Queensland Police Services in Australia identified a computer discussing child pornography on an internet website. That computer was later linked to Traut who was using a profile name of "Horndog." Traut had posted pictures to that website and made comments about the desire to have sexual intercourse with a child pictured in some of those images.
Agents later executed a search warrant at his residence, at which time they seized various electronic devices. Forensic analysis on those devices revealed more than 850 images and approximately 104 videos child pornography. Many of those videos included images of sexually explicit conduct involving prepubescent girls.
Traut has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
