Fired Texas deputy faces up to 40 years for child porn

HOUSTON – A former sheriff’s deputy in Texas faces up to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a child pornography investigation with ties to Wisconsin.

Prosecutors in Houston say 31-year-old Andrew Craig Sustaita (suhs-TAY’-tuh) of Spring pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of child pornography and to production of child pornography. The Harris County sheriff’s deputy was fired in January 2017 amid the criminal investigation.

Prosecutors say Sustaita posted images to a known child pornography website, had child porn on two of his devices and posted images of his own genitalia positioned on or near a victim as she apparently slept.

The investigation led to discovery of images of a victim on a computer in Milwaukee. Sustaita acknowledged distributing the images online.

The former deputy faces sentencing later this year.