Amarillo judge sentences Dumas man to 20 years for transporting child pornography

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today a Dumas man will face 20 years in prison for transporting child pornography.

According to U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton, 39-year-old Landon Joseph Garcia pleaded guilty in April to one count of transportation of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk sentenced Garcia Tuesday and ordered him to pay $46,500 in restitution.

“Those who create, view and distribute child sexual abuse materials reinforce a cycle of victimization and trauma each time the content is shared,” said Lester Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge HSI Dallas. “Prosecuting the predators that traffic these images is truly a collaborative effort and we are grateful for the support we share with our law enforcement partners.”

According to court documents, in June 2022, Texas DPS received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an online Kik user was transporting child pornography.

Law enforcement later determined Garcia was associated with the Kik account.

In July 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Garcia’s residence and found Garcia in the restroom deleting child pornography images from his cell phone.

Officials say he later admitted to using the phone to view, download and transport child pornography for over 10 years. The cell phone contained 1,620 video files.

The Texas DPS and Homeland Security Investigations’ Amarillo Field Office investigated the case.

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