U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Texas issued the following announcement on Feb. 21.
A husband and wife from Big Spring, Texas, were sentenced today to a combined 140 years in prison for crimes against multiple children.
U.S Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations was the lead investigative agency.
Christopher James Regan, 38, a former shipping logistics manager, was sentenced to 90 years in prison after pleading guilty in October 2019 to conspiracy to produce child pornography and two counts of producing child pornography. Tanya Marie Regan, 35, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after her October 2019 guilty plea to conspiracy to produce child pornography and possession of prepubescent child pornography. The sentences, which were imposed by U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman of the Northern District of Texas, also included lifetime terms of supervised release for both defendants.
According to court documents, Christopher and Tanya Regan sexually abused and produced child pornography of multiple children, and they possessed and distributed child pornography to one another as well. The Regans also engaged in graphic discussions about the sexual abuse of children over several online platforms.
“These heinous crimes were conducted by sexual predators who posed a serious danger to children,” said United States Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “I commend the swift and dedicated work of law enforcement, and am glad we were able to serve justice for the victims.”
“This is one of the most despicable cases of child exploitation and abuses of trust I have seen in my law-enforcement career,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas. “Even the most hardened criminal would likely take exception to this kind of heinous behavior. No sentence is long enough for these two individuals, and it sends a clear message to others who sexually exploit vulnerable children: We will come after you and hold you accountable for your reprehensible actions.”
In plea papers, the pair admitted that at Christopher Regan’s direction, Tanya Regan repeatedly videotaped herself sexually abusing children for Christopher Regan’s sexual gratification.
When law enforcement seized electronics from the home, several graphic videos had been deleted, but were still stored in the recycle bin or on unalloted space on various SD cards. Undeleted videos were stored in a computer folder titled “users\tanya_000\pictures\privatevids\minor.”
HSI’s office in San Angelo, Texas, the Howard County Sheriff’s Office and the High Technology Investigative Unit within the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) investigated the case. Substantial assistance was provide by the HSI offices in Lubbock and Tyler, Texas, Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the National Center for Mission and Exploited Children. Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Howey and Jeffrey R. Haag prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
| The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years. |
Alerts Sign-up