On Oct. 25, Thomas Scott Perkins, 31, of Fort Stockton, was sentenced to 1,890 months in prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Homeland Security Investigations agents determined that Perkins was sharing child pornography online. A search warrant was executed at Perkins’ residence, and multiple hard drive devices were discovered that contained 95,316 images and 1,237 videos of child pornography.

On July 19, 2022, Perkins was found guilty by a federal jury sitting in Pecos of one count of distribution of child pornography and eight counts of possession of child pornography. Perkins has remained in federal custody since his arrest on September 14, 2020.

“The sentence demonstrates the horrors of this type of crime, which we will continue to relentlessly pursue,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “I want to express my deep gratitude to our law enforcement partners and dedicated prosecutors who worked to bring this defendant to justice.”

Francisco Burrola, Special Agent in Charge of HSI El Paso added, “This lengthy sentence is a testament to the repugnant nature of child exploitation crimes, particularly the production of child pornography which only perpetuates the trauma endured by victims.”

HSI, with assistance from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Public Safety, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott V. Greenbaum and Kevin Cayton prosecuted the case.

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.