Texas man sentenced to 7 years for child sexual abuse material conviction following HSI El Paso investigation

ALPINE, Texas — A 74-year-old Terlingua man was sentenced in federal court to 87 months in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. The Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the case.

According to court documents, Harold Lee McMullen possessed more than 400 images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Authorities obtained a search warrant after discovering that his computer’s IP address exchanged child sexual abuse material over BitTorrent. McMullen was arrested Aug. 15, 2023, and pleaded guilty Sept. 14, 2023.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Greenbaum prosecuted the case.

For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators and online abuse, visit iGuardians™: Combating Child Predators. To report suspicious activity, call 1-877-4-HSI-TIP (877-447-4847).

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

For more news and information on HSI El Paso’s efforts to aggressively defend public safety and national security in West Texas and the entire state of New Mexico, follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIElPaso.