Richardson man convicted of federal child pornography violations

PLANO, Texas - A Richardson man has been convicted of federal child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Justin Philip Ciruti, 42, was found guilty by a jury of distribution and possession of child pornography following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on March 19, 2026.

According to information presented in court, in September of 2024, a social media platform reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user had distributed child pornography via a direct message. That referral was received by the Richardson Police Department, who investigated the case and determined that the child pornography distribution resolved back to Ciruti's residence in Richardson.

On December 2, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Ciruti's residence and electronic devices were recovered. A forensic analysis of the devices revealed some 200 images and approximately 200 videos of child pornography saved in various places, including in an encrypted application and a video player application. The video file which was originally reported by the social media platform was also recovered.

Under federal statutes, Ciruti faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count 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 was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's 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 https://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.Links to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Richardson Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Miller and Calli Bailey.

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