Thomas Hill Gets 19 Years for Child Exploitation

Thomas Hill, a 41-year-old man from Hillsborough County, has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for the enticement of a minor and production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington handed down the sentence after Hill pleaded guilty on January 7, 2020, to charges stemming from a predatory online campaign that escalated into real-world abduction and abuse.

Court documents reveal Hill began communicating with a 17-year-old girl in Georgia in November 2018, manipulating her through Skype messenger. He directed her to produce explicit images of herself and instructed her to perform degrading acts, including self-penetration with objects, while referring to herself as his “slave” and calling him “master.” The digital coercion quickly turned physical when Hill devised plans to remove the girl from her home.

In early December 2018, Hill drove from Tampa to Georgia and abducted the teen without her parents’ knowledge. He brought her back to his residence in Tampa, where he subjected her to non-consensual sex, forced labor, and isolation. The victim was forbidden from leaving the house or contacting anyone outside, effectively holding her captive under a regime of psychological and physical control.

After several weeks of captivity, the girl managed to escape and was found by law enforcement, running down a Tampa street in tears, pleading for help. Responding officers immediately recognized the severity of the situation and initiated a federal investigation that led directly to Hill’s arrest and prosecution.

“The facts of this case are beyond disturbing. Mr. Hill forced his young victim to commit horrific and unspeakable acts,” said Michael F. McPherson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division. “These investigations are tough to work and I am proud of the dedicated special agents who do the job to protect our children from sexual predators.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The program unites federal, state, and local agencies to identify, rescue, and protect victims while aggressively pursuing offenders like Thomas Hill.

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