MOBILE, Ala. – Former Stapleton School Principal Steve Thomas entered a guilty plea Sept. 21 to a two-count indictment charging him with distribution and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Deborah J. Rhodes of the Southern District of Alabama announced.
This case is the result of a cooperative effort between federal and local law enforcement. Thomas came to the attention of law enforcement while Lt. Renee Graham of the Mobile Police Department was investigating another related case against Ben Boone. Boone admitted that he had been trading images of child pornography and that he had Internet “chats” with an individual who was identified as Steve Thomas. These “chats” included not only trading images of children, but also discussions about kidnapping and raping children. Lt. Graham provided this information to Special Agent Paul Roche with the FBI, who worked with Graham to identify Steve Thomas. Both cases were referred for federal prosecution. Boone was subsequently sentenced to 210 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release following his incarceration.
“Unfortunately, the Internet has become a tool for predators to trade child pornography and to hunt for new victims,” stated U.S. Attorney Rhodes. “Those who possess and trade these images further victimize these children and increase the market for this horrendous material. We will aggressively enforce the federal laws to protect the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society.”
Based upon these charges, Thomas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a lifetime of supervised release following his incarceration.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative, which is based upon partnership among federal, state and local law enforcement, child advocacy groups and community organizations to prevent child exploitation and to prosecute offenders.
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Department of Justice Press Release
