TSA Employee Sentenced To 15 Years On Child Porn Charges

MIAMI, FL — A TSA employee from Fort Lauderdale was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Prosecutors said that 27-year-old Gary Linder, Jr. was sending sexually explicit texts to what he thought was an 11-year-old girl. He was actually texting undercover law enforcement officers over a period of several months.

The sentence was announced Monday by U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom also sentenced Linder to fifteen years of supervised release on Friday.

"In February 2018, Linder initially began communicating with an eleven-year old female child via text message," according to federal prosecutors. "The child’s telephone was turned over to law enforcement."

Linder pleaded guilty to attempted production of child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity on July 26.

"On several occasions, Linder requested nude photos of the minor child engaged in sex acts," prosecutors added.

The sentence was also announced by Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Jones of the FBI's Miami Field Office and Chief W. Howard Harrison of the Plantation Police Department. The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Child Exploitation Task Force, the Plantation Police Department with assistance from the Coral Springs Police Department and Miramar Police Department.

Linder was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi L. Anton.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano