San Antonio Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison After Sending Child Pornography to Australian Police Officer

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court to 210 months in prison for distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, Thomas Jeffrey McKissick V, 42, sent 18 images and four video files containing child pornography to an undercover police officer in Queensland, Australia on Feb. 6, 2022 and Feb. 7, 2022. Homeland Security Investigations executed a federal search warrant at McKissick’s San Antonio residence on March 10, 2022, seizing a cell phone that contained more than 10,000 images and nearly 800 video files of child sexual abuse material.

McKissick was arrested March 11, 2022 and has remained in federal custody. He pleaded guilty to one count March 5, 2024. In addition to the 210 month imprisonment, McKissick was ordered to serve lifetime supervised release and pay $15,000 restitution.

“This case demonstrates that our partnerships to combat criminal activity and prosecute child predators reach far beyond our state lines and our nation’s borders,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Thanks to this bilateral investigation and the collaboration between HSI San Antonio and the Queensland Police Service in Australia, this predator can no longer inflict harm on children.”

“While this significant sentence cannot repair the permanent damage done to the children depicted in these images, it should serve as a warning to those who engage in this behavior. HSI and our partners will be relentless in our pursuit of online predators," said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for HSI San Antonio. "The collaboration between HSI and our international partners is critical in our mission to protect vulnerable children and bring perpetrators to justice.”

“This arrest is an excellent outcome, made possible through the exceptional collaboration between the Queensland Police Service and Homeland Security Investigations,” said Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson for the Queensland Police Service child exploitation unit Argos. “This joint effort underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in our shared mission to target high-harm offenders, enhance community safety and remove children from harm.”

HSI takes a victim-centered approach to child exploitation investigations by working to identify, rescue and stabilize victims. HSI works in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Internet Crimes Against Children partners, and other federal, state and local agencies to help solve cases and rescue sexually exploited children. You can report suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

HSI and the Queensland Police Service investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bettina Richardson 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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