Smith County sex offender guilty of child pornography violations

TYLER, Texas - A Tyler man previously convicted of a child pornography violation, has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

John Matthew Emerson, 42, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on July 21, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell.

According to information presented in court, Emerson, while on supervised release for a prior conviction for possession of child pornography, was found in possession of a cellular phone containing child pornography.

Emerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is 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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Jackson.

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