Fort Stockton man sentenced for distributing child porn
Oct. 25—ALPINE — The Department of Justice issued a press release on Tuesday that detailed Thomas Scott Perkins, 31, of Fort Stockton, was sentenced on Monday to 1,890 months in prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Homeland Security Investigations agents determined through investigation that Perkins was sharing child pornography online. A search warrant was executed at Perkins' residence and multiple hard drive devices were discovered that contained 95,316 images and 1,237 videos of child sexual abuse material.
On July 19, Perkins was found guilty by a federal jury sitting in Pecos of one count of distribution of child pornography and eight counts of possession of child pornography. Perkins has remained in federal custody since his arrest on September 14, 2020.
"The sentence demonstrates the horrors of this type of crime, which we will continue to relentlessly pursue," U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff stated in the press release. "I want to express my deep gratitude to our law enforcement partners and dedicated prosecutors who worked to bring this defendant to justice."
"This lengthy sentence is a testament to the repugnant nature of child exploitation crimes, particularly the production of child pornography which only perpetuates the trauma endured by victims," Francisco Burrola, Special Agent in Charge, HSI El Paso, stated in the press release. "HSI agents make it a top priority to protect vulnerable children from victimization by working with their law enforcement partners to investigate predators involved with the possession and distribution of child pornography and ensure they are held accountable for their heinous actions."
HSI, with assistance from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Public Safety, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott V. Greenbaum and Kevin Cayton prosecuted the case.
