An Edinburg man has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for receipt of child pornography, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. 

James Archie Wells III, 63, pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, 2021.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Wells to 180 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard and considered Wells' previous convictions in Texas state court for indecency with a child and possession of child pornography. 

Judge Crane noted that Wells had just finished serving his previous sentences a few months before he began re-offending. The court assessed sentencing enhancements for the number of videos, age of the victims and the sadomasochistic nature of the videos, according to the news release. 

The investigation began when Wells was residing at a halfway house in Edinburg. Authorities learned that he had been viewing child sexual abuse videos and images on his phone. 

Authorities seized Wells' electronic devices and admitted to using the dark web to download child sexual abuse materials on his phone. 

Wells downloaded 371 videos of child pornography, which included images of sexual assault and rape of pre-pubescent children. 

Wells will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Edinburg Police Department.