Grandville Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography

Thomas Aaron Hungerford faces 15 to 30 years in prison          

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Thomas Aaron Hungerford, 54, of Grandville, pleaded guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks and faces a minimum prison term of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years.

          “Protecting children and teenagers from sexual exploitation is a critical part of our mission,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “I’m grateful to the FBI for its swift and careful work on this case and the work the Bureau does every day to protect kids.”

          On August 16, 2023, while in Grandville, Hungerford recorded a minor female under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit activity, and specifically depicting her private areas, without her knowledge or consent. Hungerford made the recording on his iPhone and saved it on a removable storage device. On May 24, 2024, Hungerford was charged by criminal complaint with distribution of child pornography following a federal search warrant that same day. He has been held in custody since his arrest.

          Hungerford’s signed plea agreement is attached. The previous release can be viewed here.  

          This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

          The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this case. 

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