A Texarkana man has been sentenced to federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Brandon Neil Sams, 48, pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor while serving as a band instructor at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas and was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III, on July 16, 2024.
According to information presented in court, Sams communicated with several of his minor students through social media and messaging applications to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce them to participate in sexual activity. Sams provided his victims with gifts, such as cell phones, clothes, and prepaid credit cards to encourage them to do what he asked of them. After the Texas High police department uncovered Sams’s criminal activity, several victims came forward to explain that they had been victimized by Sams in the past but had been too afraid to come forward about it for fear of backlash.
“We expect teachers to protect and keep their students safe from harm, not to abuse their positions of trust to take advantage of them,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. “Mr. Sams used his access to teenagers to groom them to participate with him in illegal sexual activity. The sentence he received today should serve as a warning to all child predators: we will find you, and you will face justice.”
