A registered sex offender from Garland was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for possessing thousands of child pornography images.
Federal officials said 59-year-old Erick Fernando Duarte pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in August. He has been in federal custody since May.
Court documents indicate Garland police executed a search warrant of Duarte's home after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child pornography had been uploaded to his AOL account.
The Dallas Morning News reported that a review of his cell phone and other media revealed more than 1,200 images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children involved in sex acts.
Sex offender records state that Duarte was convicted of felony sexual assault of a 14-year-old child in 1995.
