Former Carrollton, Texas, Man Who Worked As A Long-Haul Truck Driver, Sentenced To 20 Years In Federal Prison On Child Pornography Conviction

DALLAS — A 35-year-old long haul truck driver, who most recently resided in Carrollton, Texas, was sentenced this morning on a child pornography conviction, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

James Marshall Thomas was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 20 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Thomas pleaded guilty in November 2014 to one count of transportation of child pornography; he has been in custody since his arrest in September 2014.

According to documents filed in the case, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip in June 2012 that an individual, later identified as Thomas, had emailed images of child pornography to another specific email address. While a federal search warrant was being drafted, FBI special agents discovered that Thomas had moved out of his apartment in Carrollton and that he worked as a cross-country truck driver.

Approximately two years later, FBI special agents located Thomas at a freight delivery destination. He gave them permission to search his laptop computer where agents discovered that he had responded to an advertisement on Craigslist by stating, in part, “pedo perv here.” They also discovered child pornography on the laptop and seized it, as well as a thumb drive.

A forensic analysis revealed that Thomas had searched for child pornography using various search terms indicative of raping young boys. In addition, Skype artifacts were also located that included chat logs of other like-minded individuals discussing the rape of young boys. Thomas also used Skype to receive and transport files of child pornography on multiple occasions. The analysis further revealed that Thomas had accessed several child pornography videos of prepubescent children. In all, approximately 400 images and 28 videos of child pornography, including sadistic acts involving minors, were located on his computer and thumb drive.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.