West Texas Man Gets Life in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

ABILENE, TX — United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced that Troy Nathaniel Navarro, 34, was sentenced Oct. 1 to life in federal prison for committing severe child‑exploitation offenses over multiple years.

Navarro pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, and commission of a felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender on May 8. Yesterday, the Court imposed the following sentence:

• Life imprisonment for enticement of a minor
• 600 months (50 years) for production of child pornography
• 120 months (10 years) as to felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender

According to court records, from 2023 through 2026, Navarro knowingly or attempted to employ, use, persuade, induce, coerce, or entice minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. As part of his guilty plea, Navarro admitted he used the Internet, cellular devices, and cloud‑based applications — all facilities of interstate commerce — to carry out his offenses.

The case originated from a CyberTip report received by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, indicating possible child‑exploitation material linked to an account stored within a commercial cloud‑service platform. Investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division developed the initial lead, identifying subscriber information and linking the activity to Navarro’s residence in Throckmorton, Texas.

Digital‑forensics personnel from state and federal agencies executed both state and federal search warrants, retrieving electronic evidence across multiple devices and accounts. The recovered data established Navarro’s extensive digital communications, his use of interstate‑commerce channels and his role in producing child pornography.

According to court documents, Navarro admitted to using interstate communications systems to entice a minor and produce illegal visual depictions. Navarro has prior conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child. As a registered offender, Navarro’s commission of new felony conduct involving a minor triggered enhanced penalties under federal law.

The Court ordered the life and 50-year sentences to run concurrently and 10-year sentence to run consecutively to the earlier counts. Upon release from imprisonment, Navarro will be subject to a life term of supervised release, with all three terms to run concurrently.

“The life sentence imposed today reflects the enormity of the defendant’s conduct and highlights our unwavering commitment to pursue the strongest penalties available under federal law when a predator exploits a child,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “This defendant’s repeated violations of the law underscore precisely why federal statutes exist to address offenders who continue to prey on children despite prior convictions. The community is safer because this defendant has been held accountable.” 

FBI Dallas Field Office – Wichita Falls Resident Agency and Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney James from the Abilene Division prosecuted the case.

“This life sentence, imposed as a result of multiple violations by a registered sex offender, underscores our commitment to holding perpetrators accountable for crimes against children,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners, remains dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.”