Homeland Security Investigations announced on April 29 that HSI Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit executed a search warrant at the home of Benjamin Milfelt in Corpus Christi, Texas. Milfelt served as a Parent Teacher Association board member and Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer at Mireles Elementary School, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Authorities said they found more than 2,000 images of child pornography on Milfelt’s phone. Milfelt was arrested by the Corpus Christi Police Department on state charges, and federal prosecution is being sought in the Southern District of Texas, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In fiscal year 2024, possession accounted for 45.8 percent of offenders sentenced for child pornography crimes. The median sentence for offenders in child pornography cases was 96 months, according to the United States Sentencing Commission.
Homeland Security Investigations serves as the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency conducts criminal investigations into child exploitation, cybercrime, human trafficking, financial fraud, narcotics smuggling, and other transnational crimes, according to Homeland Security Investigations.
