Talladega County Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –  A federal judge sentenced a Childersburg man yesterday for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

United States District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Seth Thompson, 41, to 168 months in prison followed by 240 months supervised release. In September 2020, Thompson pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. This conviction will require him to register as a sex offender.

“Children are the most vulnerable victims and my Office will do everything in our power to prosecute criminals who victimize our children through the internet, videos, or photos,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.

“I am pleased with the sentence handed down today that now holds Thompson accountable for these sickening crimes,” SAC Sharp said. “I encourage anyone who may have information about possible child sexual exploitation, including posts on social media, to report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at CyberTipline.org or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST. This case emphasizes the importance of concerned citizens making those reports.”

According to the plea agreement, law enforcement received Cyber-Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ("NCMEC") that images of child pornography had been uploaded to certain Facebook and Google accounts registered to Thompson.  Thompson was located and arrested by Childersburg police on unrelated charges, and a federal search warrant was obtained for Thompson’s cell phones.  During a forensic review of Thompson’s cell phones, a total of 153 images and 69 videos of children being sexually exploited were identified.  Thompson admitted he had seen images of child pornography and that he had received certain images and videos in a Kik group. 

The FBI investigated the case, along with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and with the assistance of Childersburg Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case. 

The 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 the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet,   and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.