San Antonio Man Sentenced to Over 19 Years in Federal Prison on Child Pornography Charges

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio on Wednesday to 235 months in prison for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Thomas McKay Beck, 46, used peer-to-peer file sharing software to distribute 14 files containing CSAM.  The files contained sexually explicit videos of infants, toddlers and prepubescent children.  A forensic analysis of Beck’s computer revealed 295 CSAM images.  Beck was arrested April 28, 2022 and has remained in custody since.  He pleaded guilty to count one of the two-count indictment Oct. 24.

In addition to the 235 month imprisonment, Beck was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution.  He will also incur a lifetime of supervised release following his sentence and register as a sex offender.

“This defendant engaged in reprehensible acts and his lengthy sentencing serves as a powerful demonstration of our dedication to protecting the vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas.  “With the valuable assistance of our law enforcement partners at federal, state, local and tribal levels, my office will continue to strongly prosecute anyone who exploits innocent children.”

“The significant sentence imposed on Thomas Beck sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those individuals who exploit children. Beck will serve the next 19 years in federal prison for his incomprehensible acts” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for the Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Division. “We remain committed in working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who victimize the most vulnerable members of our society, our children.”

HSI and the San Antonio Police Department 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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