CASPER, Wyo. — A Casper man could spend 10–20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to a subsequent offense of possessing child sexual abuse materials, according to the minutes of a federal court hearing in Cheyenne.
Alan Dean Houghton, 63, entered the plea before U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson.
In exchange for the plea, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss five other child sex crime–related counts at Houghton’s sentencing, set for July 22.
On March 13, the federal grand jury handed up the indictment with six counts including the possession count. The indictment stated the following crimes occurred between July 1, 2022, and Feb. 20, 2023:
- Coercion of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity: subsequent offense, punishable by up 30 years’ to life imprisonment.
- Production of child pornography: subsequent offense, punishable by 35 years’ to life imprisonment.
- Aiding and abetting the production of child pornography: subsequent offense, punishable by 35 years’ to life imprisonment.
- Receipt of child pornography: subsequent offense, punishable by 15–40 years’ imprisonment.
- Possession of child pornography: subsequent offense, punishable by 10–20 years’ imprisonment.
- Commission of a felony sex offense by a registered sex offender, punishable by 10 years’ imprisonment consecutive to the highest sentence imposed out of counts one through three.
The indictment did not give any details about the investigation leading to these charges.
All but one of the counts have special monetary assessments related to sex trafficking and/or child sexual abuse material victims, according to the indictment.
In the case of the possession of child pornography on subsequent offense, the penalties Houghton faces are a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2015 and up to $17,000 special assessment and mandatory restitution of not less than $3,000 per requesting victim pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
Houghton is listed on the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s sex offender registry. According to the registry, he was convicted in federal court in 2002 of sexual exploitation of children, interstate travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor and possession of child pornography.
In 2010, he was convicted in federal court of possession of child pornography, sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and placed on lifetime supervised probation after his release from custody.
In September 2023, Houghton admitted to a probation officer that he possessed two unauthorized phones with internet capabilities, saying he bought one phone as his “‘play phone’ which he had for ‘bucking the system,'” according to the March 27 petition to revoke his probation.
He was arrested and jailed that day.
His sentencing for violating the terms of his probation is set for July 22, the same day as his sentencing for the child pornography possession crime.
