A Denton resident has been sentenced to 170 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing child pornography, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas.
Trinity Snow Cassells, also known as Dustin Joseph McDuffie, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on October 21, 2025.
Court documents show that between 2018 and 2024, Cassells was identified in ten separate CyberTips. He used various social media platforms, cloud storage services, email accounts, and the dark web to exchange child pornography. Cassells communicated with individuals he believed were minors through popular social media applications, groomed them for illegal sexual activity, and encouraged them to abuse other children. During this conduct, he distributed child pornography.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national effort initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse online. The project coordinates resources among federal, state, and local agencies to identify and prosecute offenders and rescue victims. More details about Project Safe Childhood are available at www.justice.gov/psc.
The investigation involved the Denton Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller prosecuted the case.
