A husband and wife from Big Spring were sentenced Friday to a combined 140 years in prison for crimes against multiple children.
According to an announcement by 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, Christopher and Tanya Regan plead guilty to multiple crimes against children in October 2019.
Christopher Regan, 38, was sentenced to 90 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography and two counts of producing child pornography. His wife, Tanya Regan, 35, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography and possession of prepubescent child pornography.
The couple's sentences also included lifetime terms of supervised release.
According to court documents, the couple sexually abused and produced child pornography of multiple children. Court documents also show that they possessed and distributed child pornography, and engaged in graphic discussions about sexually abusing children on several online platforms.
"This is one of the most despicable cases of child exploitation and abuses of trust I have seen in my law-enforcement career," Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas, said. "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."
According to plea papers, the couple admitted that at Christopher Regan's direction, Tanya Regan repeatedly videotaped herself sexually abusing children for Christopher Regan's sexual gratification.
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When law enforcement officials seized the electronics from the Regans' home, multiple graphic videos had been deleted but were still stored in the computer's recycle bin or on various SD cards. Undeleted videos were stored in a computer folder labeled "users\tanya_000\pictures\privatevids\minor."
"These heinous crimes were conducted by sexual predators who posed a serious danger to children," United States Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said. "I commend the swift and dedicated work of law enforcement, and am glad we were able to serve justice for the victims."
