Gulfport, Miss. – In a disturbing example of the darkness that lurks in our communities, Edward Lee Thomas, 48, of Perkinston, Mississippi, has been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for producing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Thomas was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on March 17, 2020, following a guilty plea to the production count. He faced a maximum penalty of not less than 25 years nor more than 50 years, and a $250,000 fine, due to a prior conviction for sexual battery of a child in 2004.
The case began in March 2020, when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Gulfport received 95 images and 2 videos of child sexual abuse from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). An investigation led agents to a residence in Forrest County, Mississippi, where sexual abuse images of two minors had been taken.
Agents executed a federal search warrant at the residence of Edward Lee Thomas in Perkinston, seizing over 4,000 images and 700 videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The seizure and forensic examination of electronic devices taken from Thomas’ residence revealed the disturbing evidence.
As part of his sentence, Thomas will also serve a lifetime of supervised release. Assessments were imposed on Thomas in the amount of $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Tracking Act of 2015, and $20,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Related Federal Cases
- Benjamin Lee Poiroux, Possession of Child Pornography, Mississippi 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Steven Edward Baker, Produced Child Pornography, Kensington MD, 2023 · Washington
- Randy Lee Cook, Child Pornography, Oregon 2024 · Washington
- Elza Eugene Harter, Possession of Child Pornography, Mississippi 2014 · Iowa
- Ronald W. Hale, Transportation of Child Pornography, Mississippi 2024 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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