Feds Send New Caney Man To Prison On Child Porn Charges

HOUSTON — A 21-year-old New Caney man will spend the next 18 years in federal prison after he was convicted Monday of producing child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Thomas Anthony Garrett, who entered a guilty plea in April, was sentenced after the court heard evidence of Garrett's offenses as a repeat and dangerous sex offender, and that he'd sexually abused two boys who were 9- and 12-years-old at the time.

Garrett came to the attention of law enforcement in July 2016, after a relative of a 12-year-old male victim found inappropriate messages and pictures on the minor’s iPod and brought it to authorities in Pennsylvania.

Investigators learned that Garrett met the boy through Facebook and learned that Garrett had asked the boy to send sexually explicit photos of himself to Garrett, according to the press release. Prosecutors said the photos included images of exposed genitals and a video of the minor masturbating.

"If parents or guardians are going to allow their minor children on social media, they must be very vigilant,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick said. "No young child should have unsupervised access to social media, and they should not have any accounts a trusted adult cannot access at any time. Sadly, there are too many predators out there that exploit children this way."

After he completes his mandatory 18-year-sentence in federal prison, Garrett will serve the rest of his life on supervised release. He will be required comply with numerous mandates imposed by the court that will restrict his access to children and the internet. Garrett will also be ordered to register as a sex offender, according to the press release.