A man in Dallas County Jail forced a teenager to produce child pornography, authorities say

A man incarcerated in Dallas County has been sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison for forcing a teenager to make sexually explicit videos, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said.

Obadiah Fraser, 26, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography in May 2023. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr on Wednesday ordered him to register as a sex offender and sentenced him to 28 years and four months in prison. Fraser's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fraser was arrested in Dallas County on charges of possession of child pornography because he used an iPad provided to him by the jail to video chat with a 17-year-old girl, prosecutors said in a news release. The Dallas County Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Fraser and the girl spoke on a live video platform used by correctional facilities that requires users to be at least 18 years old. The girl used the account of Fraser's cellmate's wife, the press release said.

During the calls – which were monitored by platform company Securus – Fraser asked the girl to make sexually explicit videos of herself. When she hesitated, he shouted at her and cursed at her, the press release said.

Dallas County Jail officials confronted Fraser with the videos and he admitted making them and knowing the girl was 17, prosecutors said. He was indicted in federal court in September 2022.

Dallas County online court records show Fraser was arrested and charged with unrelated possession of child pornography in 2020. He pleaded guilty in July 2022 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the Homeland Security Investigations Dallas field office conducted the investigation into the federal charges with assistance from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office and in cooperation with the jail.

“This defendant intentionally exploited a minor by forcing the victim to produce sexually explicit material without regard for the emotional and physical distress his crimes would cause,” said Lester R. Hayes Jr., Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas. “I am grateful for the collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners in bringing another child molester to justice.”