by | Published
A Georgetown, Texas, man, identified as David Lloyd Walther, 57, has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release for an enhanced charge of possession of child pornography. The sentencing took place in a federal court in Austin on Wednesday.
According to court documents, Walther knowingly searched for, downloaded, distributed, and possessed child sexual abuse material, including child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors. He used BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, to access and distribute this illicit content.
In November 2022, law enforcement conducted a search of Walther's home and vehicle, where they discovered two large computer hard drives containing more than 100,000 images and over 5,000 videos of child sexual abuse material. At the time of his arrest, Walther held the position of pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock.
In addition to the prison term and supervised release, the judge ordered Walther to pay restitution of $61,000.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas expressed concern, stating, "Many families in the Round Rock area placed their trust in this man when he served as a leader in faith for their community. I hope that those families can find comfort in knowing our law enforcement partners and justice system are committed to protecting them, ensuring that predators such as Walther cannot continue to pose a threat to innocent children."
Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich, Jr., of the FBI San Antonio Division, emphasized the gravity of the case, saying, "This case was especially disturbing given the defendant’s position of trust in the community. This sentencing sends a strong message to child predators that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will never relent in our duty to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation wherever these crimes are present in our nation."
The FBI San Antonio Division's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force led the investigation, with assistance from the Round Rock Police Department, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, and the Williamson County Children's Advocacy Center.
