Fort Worth Child Pornography Lawyer
An accusation is not a conviction. Your fight is ours.
Confidential Case Evaluation
Speak privately with a criminal defense attorney — we respond quickly, day or night.
Confidential · Available 24/7 · Se habla español
A charge involving child pornography — or even a knock on the door from investigators — is one of the most serious moments of a person’s life. The stakes include prison, sex offender registration, and a permanent mark on everything from employment to family life. Varghese Summersett’s criminal defense team is headquartered in downtown Fort Worth, two blocks from the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. The team includes Board Certified criminal law specialists and former Tarrant County prosecutors who have handled these cases from both sides. Everything you tell us is confidential. Call (817) 203-2220 — we answer 24/7.
Your Fort Worth Criminal Defense Team
Five Board Certified specialists. Former prosecutors at the partner level. Our lawyers have been featured on 48 Hours, Dateline, Forensic Files, and Court TV. This is who handles your case.
How Child Pornography Cases Start in Tarrant County
Most of these cases begin long before an arrest. Tech companies file reports with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline, internet providers flag accounts, peer-to-peer networks are monitored, and task forces focused on internet crimes against children develop cases quietly. By the time Fort Worth police or federal agents execute a search warrant and seize every device in the home, the investigation may have been underway for months — and the forensic examination of those devices can take months more.
If your devices have been seized but you have not been charged, you are in the investigation window. This is the most valuable time to hire counsel. We can engage before charges are filed, shield you from interviews you should not give, and in some cases influence whether — and what — charges are ultimately brought.
State or Federal? Where Fort Worth Cases Are Heard
State charges under Texas Penal Code 43.26 are prosecuted by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office in the district courts at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. Cases with an interstate element — which can be as little as material transmitted over the internet — can instead be charged federally in the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division.
The difference matters enormously. Federal charges typically carry harsher sentencing ranges, and some federal offenses — such as receipt or distribution — carry mandatory minimum prison sentences. Which courthouse your case lands in changes the strategy from day one. Our attorneys defend these cases in both state and federal court.
Penalties for Possession of Child Pornography in Texas
Las enmiendas de 2025 al Código Penal de Texas § 43.26 crearon la estructura de sanciones más compleja del Código Penal de Texas. El nivel de delito depende del tipo de material (niños reales frente a niños generados por ordenador), el número de representaciones visuales, la edad del niño representado, las condenas anteriores y si el delincuente ocupaba un puesto de confianza con respecto a los niños. Estos factores funcionan como una matriz: cualquier combinación puede agravar la pena.
Posesión de representaciones de niños reales (§ 43.26(a-1))
El delito básico por posesión de material que muestra a un niño real participando en conductas sexuales es un delito grave de tercer grado. El nivel del delito aumenta con el número de imágenes, las condenas previas y otros factores agravantes:
| Cantidad / Circunstancias | Nivel de infracción | Rango del castigo |
|---|---|---|
| Menos de 10 representaciones visuales (sin mejoras) | Delito grave de tercer grado | De 2 a 10 años de prisión; multa de hasta 10.000 dólares |
| De 10 a 49 representaciones visuales; o una condena previa que cumpla los requisitos. | Delito grave de segundo grado | De 2 a 20 años de prisión; multa de hasta 10.000 dólares |
| 50 o más representaciones visuales; o material que represente agresión sexual a un menor (§ 22.011(a)(2)); o dos o más condenas previas que cumplan los requisitos. | Delito grave de primer grado | De 5 a 99 años de prisión o cadena perpetua; multa de hasta 10.000 dólares. |
| El delincuente trabajaba en un centro de cuidado infantil, un centro de tratamiento residencial, un refugio para jóvenes que recibía fondos estatales, o exhibió material en la biblioteca de una escuela. | Delito grave de primer grado (mínimo de 25 años) | De 25 a 99 años o cadena perpetua. |
Mejora de la edad: Niños menores de 10 años (§ 43.26(c-2))
La ley de 2025 añadió un aumento de edad independiente que se suma al nivel básico de delito. Si el material muestra a un niño que parece tener menos de 10 años, la pena aumenta de la siguiente manera:
| Nivel básico de delito | Nivel de delito agravado (niño menor de 10 años) |
|---|---|
| Delito grave de tercer grado | Aumenta a delito grave de segundo grado (de 2 a 20 años) |
| Delito grave de segundo grado | Se eleva a delito grave de primer grado (de 5 a 99 años o cadena perpetua). |
| Delito grave de primer grado | Sigue siendo un delito grave de primer grado, pero la pena mínima aumenta a 15 años. |
Esto significa que el número de imágenes establece el nivel básico de la pena, y la edad del niño representado actúa como un agravante que la aumenta aún más. Las condenas anteriores y la posición de confianza del delincuente sirven como vías adicionales e independientes para imponer una pena más severa.
Promoción de pornografía infantil / Posesión con intención de promover (§ 43.26(e))
La promoción de la pornografía infantil —o su posesión con la intención de promoverla— se castiga por separado y con penas más severas. «Promover» significa fabricar, editar, vender, regalar, proporcionar, prestar, enviar por correo, entregar, transferir, transmitir, publicar, distribuir, difundir, presentar, exhibir o anunciar, u ofrecer o acordar realizar cualquiera de estas acciones.
A conviction under Penal Code 43.26 also requires registration as a sex offender. For the complete breakdown of offense levels, bonds, 3G status, registration, and the statute of limitations, see our full guide to possession of child pornography charges in Texas.
Bond and Pretrial Conditions in Tarrant County
Most people charged under Penal Code 43.26 in Tarrant County are eligible for bond, but the conditions matter as much as the amount. Courts routinely impose restrictions on internet and computer use, prohibit contact with minors — which can complicate living in your own home if you have children — and may require monitoring. These conditions take effect immediately and can upend your job, your family arrangements, and your ability to participate in your own defense.
We fight for bond conditions you can actually live under, and when conditions are unworkable, we move to modify them. How your bond is structured in the first weeks often shapes the entire case.
Defending These Cases in Fort Worth
These cases are more defensible than most people believe — but the defenses are technical, and they start with questions most lawyers never ask:
- Was the search lawful? The warrant, and the CyberTip chain behind it, can be challenged.
- Who actually possessed the files? Shared homes, shared computers, open Wi-Fi networks, and malware all matter.
- What do the forensics really show? Cached files, deleted material, automated downloads, and file dates tell a very different story than an indictment does.
- Can the State prove age and identity? The State must prove the material depicts an actual child.
- Do statutory defenses apply? Texas law contains specific affirmative defenses that apply in limited circumstances.
We retain independent digital forensic experts, move early, and work quietly. In some investigations, the best outcome is one the public never sees — because charges are never filed.
Por qué Varghese Summersett
Our criminal defense team includes five Board Certified specialists and former Tarrant County prosecutors at the partner level. We try cases in the courtrooms two blocks from our office, in front of judges and prosecutors we have known for decades. These cases demand both technical defense work and complete discretion — and that is exactly how we handle them.
We Have Tried the Cases Other Lawyers Read About
In 2017, our team tried the first Playpen case to reach a jury in Texas — before Judge Sidney Fitzwater in federal court in Dallas. Playpen was the dark-web site the FBI seized and kept running from a government server, unmasking visitors with injected tracking code. Nearly everyone charged in that operation pleaded guilty; our client went to trial, we made the government’s conduct part of the case, and the jury deliberated over guilt-innocence for more than a day. Few firms anywhere have taken a federal child pornography case through trial. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Preguntas frecuentes
The police took my devices but I haven’t been charged. What should I do?
You are in the investigation window — the most important time to act. Do not agree to an interview, do not try to explain, and do not wait for charges to hire counsel. A lawyer who engages now can protect you from the interrogation, communicate with investigators on your behalf, and in some cases affect whether and what charges are filed.
Will my case be prosecuted in state or federal court?
It depends on who ran the investigation and the facts alleged. Tarrant County prosecutes state charges under Penal Code 43.26 at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center; cases developed by federal agencies are charged in the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, where some offenses carry mandatory minimum sentences. We defend both, and the venue shapes strategy from the first day.
How long do these cases take in Tarrant County?
Often far longer than people expect. Device forensics can take months before an indictment is ever presented, and complex cases can run a year or more. That timeline is not wasted time when the defense is using it — reviewing the forensic record, challenging the search, and preparing for the State’s case.
¿Tendré que registrarme como delincuente sexual?
A conviction under Penal Code 43.26 requires sex offender registration. That is one of the central reasons these cases must be fought on the front end — over the search, the forensics, and what the State can actually prove — rather than resolved quickly.
Can these charges be reduced or dismissed?
Some are. Outcomes depend on the lawfulness of the search, what the forensic evidence actually shows about knowing possession, and the strength of the State’s proof on age and identity. No lawyer can promise a result — but these cases are more defensible than most people assume, and the defenses are technical ones an experienced team knows how to build.
Talk to a Fort Worth Child Pornography Defense Lawyer
Do not talk to investigators before you talk to a lawyer. Call (817) 203-2220 for a confidential consultation, 24 hours a day, or contact us through our secure form. Se habla español.