ROUND ROCK, Texas — A Round Rock pastor pleaded guilty to an enhanced charge of possession of child pornography on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Court documents reported that David Lloyd Walther, 57, searched, downloaded, distributed and possessed child pornography through the peer-to-peer file-sharing network, BitTorrent.
The FBI, along with local law enforcement, searched Walther's home and vehicle back in November 2022. They found two large computer hard drives containing more than 100,000 images and more than 5,000 videos of child pornography.
Walther was the pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock when law enforcement arrested him. He faces up to 20 years behind bars and a maximum fine of $250,000.
The FBI San Antonio Division's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was assisted by the Round Rock Police Department, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and the Williamson County Children's Advocacy Center.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparaza with the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich Jr. with the FBI made the announcement of Walther's plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin will lead the prosecuting case.
This case was part of a nationwide initiative to stop the growing epidemic of child pornography, according to the DOJ. The initiative, Protect Safe Childhood, was launched in May 2006 by the DOJ. According to the department, since the launch there has been a 40% increase in cases and defendants prosecuted by the United States Attorneys Offices.
Read more about the 2023 national strategy for child exploitation prevention and interdiction from the DOJ.