Smith County man arrested, charged with child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas

TYLER, Texas – A Tyler man has been charged with federal child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

 

Dennis Smith, 66, was named in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on August 19, 2026, charging him with coercion and enticement, attempted production of child pornography with intent to transport to the United States, transportation of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.  Smith was arrested in Tyler on September 2, 2026, and will make an initial appearance in federal court on September 3, 2026.

 

According to the indictment, on various dates in 2019 and 2022, Smith is alleged to have committed numerous offenses involving minor victims.

 

If convicted, Smith faces life in federal prison.

 

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

 

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigations Division, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, and the Smith County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Richards and Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld are prosecuting the case.

 

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.