Thomas Mills, Child Pornography, West Virginia 2024

Table of Contents

Raleigh County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Pornography

BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Raleigh County man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing child pornography, according to a recent sentencing in a federal court.

Thomas John Mills, 37, of Beckley, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production of child pornography, as stated in court documents and statements made in court. This term will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, during which Mills must register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Mills admitted to coercing a 15-year-old minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct, including masturbation and the lascivious exhibition of her genitals, between March and October 2020 for the purpose of creating images and videos of this conduct.

The court described the case as ‘one of the worst set of circumstances’ it has seen.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.

These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Mills will serve 30 years in prison for the production of child pornography, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, including registration as a sex offender.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.