News Releases

North Texas man convicted of producing, possessing child pornography
Defendant babysat for toddler boy in his pornographic images

FORT WORTH, Texas — A man from Keller, Texas, was convicted at a bench trial held Monday before U.S. District Judge John McBryde for possessing and producing child pornography. The conviction was announced by acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks, Northern District of Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the investigation.

Because he was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, Bryan K. Dickson, 46, faces a maximum statutory sentence of not less than 25 years and up to 70 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge McBryde on Oct. 2.

ICE agents executed a federal search warrant at Dickson’s Keller home on March 11; Dickson was home at the time. The affidavit filed with the complaint alleged that Dickson purchased access to child pornography from an Internet website. The ICE agent testified at trial June 8 that during the execution of the warrant, Dickson directed them to a disk in his computer that contained numerous images of child pornography. He informed the agents that he had been viewing child pornography since 2006. He further stated that he had an urge to touch young boys, preferring 4 to 5 year olds. Dickson said that he fantasized about having sex with a 4-year-old boy, but satisfied his urges by accessing child pornography and masturbating.

Further testimony at trial revealed that on that same computer disk were seven images of a child under 2 years old. That child was identified as a child for whom Dickson babysat. The child victim’s father testified and identified his son on the images, identified his son’s birth certificate, and testified that his son is now 2 years old.

A forensic expert testified that Dickson’s digital camera was the only camera that could have taken the pornographic images of the toddler.

In 1988, Dickson was convicted in New Jersey for sexually assaulting a child after he gained the trust of the child as the babysitter. Evidence was also presented during the detention hearing that Dickson was searching for babysitting jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to supplement his income when he was arrested in March 2009. Most recently, Dickson worked in Dallas at a Chick-fil-A restaurant, at the Dallas Zoo, and in Grapevine, Texas, at the Great Wolf Lodge. He has been in federal custody since his arrest.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 11,000 individuals, including 1,160 in Texas.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis, Northern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.