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Thomas Hungerford pleads guilty in federal child pornography case

Posted on by Bobb
Thomas Hungerford pleads guilty in federal child pornography case

A Grand Rapids-area man accused of peeping through the window of one girl’s home and secretly recording her during an “intimate moment” is scheduled to plead guilty in federal court Friday and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Grandville construction foreman Thomas Hungerford, 54, is expected to admit he recorded a video of a minor in August 2023 without her knowledge or consent, according to a copy of his plea agreement obtained by The Detroit News.

The video showed “a female under the age of 18 engaging in sexually explicit activity, including a lascivious display of her genitals…” according to a plea agreement filed in federal court on Thursday. “The accused made a recording on his iPhone and saved it on a removable storage device…”

Hungerford’s lawyer, Pavol Fabian, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Hungerford is scheduled to plead guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child at 3:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney in federal court in Kalamazoo. The hearing came five months after Hungerford was arrested on charges of stealing underwear from a school locker room and bragging about his exploits online under the pseudonym “Barry Sanders.”

As part of his conviction, Hungerford faces up to 30 years in prison and must register as a sex offender.

In turn, prosecutors agreed to drop two counts of distributing child pornography, each of which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

People convicted of federal child pornography offenses face harsher penalties in western Michigan than in the eastern part of the state. Since 2015, at least 82 people convicted in federal court in western Michigan were sentenced to an average of more than 11 years in federal prison. In the east of the state, 255 people were sentenced to an average of eight years in prison during the same period.

An unsealed federal child pornography case details online fantasies, actual felonies and voyeurism during a period of alleged offenses targeting girls in the western part of the state.

“Hungerford also discussed visiting public places, such as gymnasiums, to watch and film/photograph young girls wearing tight clothing, such as swimsuits or leggings,” FBI Special Agent Aaron Eastham wrote in the journal. federal court statement.

The criminal case, unsealed in May, alleges that as early as March, Hungerford exchanged messages with a person of interest in an FBI child pornography investigation in Nebraska.

During the investigation, agents seized a cell phone and discovered messages on an encrypted app that used dark web technology to ensure users’ security and privacy.

According to the affidavit, agents focused on messages between the subject and a user identified as “Barry Sanders,” who investigators soon identified as Hungerford.

The messages began in November, with both users discussing their interest in pedophilia, the agent wrote.

“Have you already admitted to yourself that you are a pedophile?” According to the government, Hungerford wrote this in one message.

“It took me a long time and I gave it up forever,” Hungerford added. “But when I finally admitted to myself that I was a pedophile, it was like an awakening. Now I really accept it.”

During the chats, Hungerford said he had many non-nude and nude images and videos of children, the agent wrote. In February, Hungerford shared a video of an approximately 6-year-old girl being raped, according to the affidavit.

In other chats, Hungerford talked about his interest in prepubescent girls, the government alleges. He wrote: “I want to touch the teen so bad!!!!” He was targeting one specific girl in November, according to the FBI.

“We have friends whose daughter is REALLY hot!! She’s a gymnast,” Hungerford wrote.

Hungerford’s case is the latest involving allegations of sex crimes and gymnasts in Michigan.

David Yellen, the Royal Oak youth gymnastics photographer convicted of distributing child pornography, is awaiting sentencing in federal court after prosecutors said he spent two decades photographing the bare feet and genital areas of about 1,100 young gymnasts in leotards.

Court records portray Yellen as a predator with a foot fetish who targeted children as young as 3 in the national gymnastics community at the same time as former Michigan State University and USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar was accused of sexually abusing more than 500 young women, teenage and prepubescent girls under the guise of medical treatment over more than two decades and is serving a life sentence.

In Hungerford’s case, investigators allege that in late November he sent photographs of a child’s swimsuit and an iPad screen showing a half-naked prepubescent girl to Nebraska.

According to the affidavit, in late January, Hungerford shared a video of a prepubescent girl walking dogs and performing gymnastics exercises while wearing a one-piece bathing suit or swimsuit. He also shared a voice message.

“I want to touch this little girl really bad,” a male voice says during the message, according to the FBI agent.

During conversations in late January, Hungerford and the Nebraska subject discussed whether they would sexually abuse a child, as alleged in the court document.

“Terribly tempting. I think I might if she was under the influence of drugs,” Hungerford wrote. “That way no one would know.”

Another chat is mentioned in the criminal case.

On Nov. 6, Hungerford wrote that he was outside a dance studio watching children, an FBI agent said.

“Any lovers?” Nebraska theme wrote.

“…oh god yes,” Hungerford wrote.

Hungerford explained that he did not take any photographs or videos that day.

“I kind of park near where all the parents park for obvious reasons,” he wrote. “I see them come and go MUCH better, but they are a little further away. Next time I’ll go straight into the mix.”

From November to March, Hungerford sent messages saying he was looking into the windows of underage girls, breaking into their homes and stealing their underwear, the agent said.

“He claimed to have recorded sex videos of one of the girls with her boyfriend,” Eastham wrote.

“I spied on her and her little sister for about 6 months,” Hungerford wrote in one chat. “It hasn’t been long since I spied on her.

“I recorded her in a VERY intimate moment with her and her boyfriend,” Hungerford added.

Other reports described attempts to watch the girls through windows at night, according to the FBI.

“He said he believed the younger girl was either a freshman or sophomore in high school and the older girl was likely a senior in high school,” the FBI agent wrote.

Hungerford’s actions intensified in December, according to the government.

On Christmas Eve, Hungerford said he broke into the girls’ home “while the family was away,” the agent wrote.

“He sent images of the girl’s clothing, including underwear, which he said he stole from the older girl’s bedroom,” the FBI agent said. “He said he was considering returning while the family was away because he wanted to “take advantage and infiltrate BR Jr.”

During the conversation, Hungerford wrote that he lived on a lake in western Michigan and worked as a construction foreman. Property records show Hungerford lived in a 3,400-square-foot home overlooking Whispering Springs Lake, about 10 miles southwest of Grand Rapids.

The home sold earlier this month for $676,900.

The investigation intensified in May.

On May 2, FBI agents received information about a subscriber to the “Barry Sanders” account who was exchanging messages with a subject from Nebraska. The Internet Protocol address associated with the account was associated with Hungerford’s home.

“Hungerford admitted to having child pornography on his cell phone, tablet, and two USB drives he had in his pocket,” the FBI agent wrote.

“(Hungerford) admitted to being attracted to girls between the ages of 8 and 14 and admitted to taking photographs of children in public places such as parks and stores,” the affidavit states. “He also watched the kids from the parking lot of the dance studios.”

During an interview, Hungerford admitted to breaking into the homes of two families with children ranging in age from 9 to 18 years old and “stole various items of clothing and underwear from the children living there,” the affidavit states.

“At one of the houses, he observed minors through a window several times at night and claimed to have recorded a video of a girl he believed to be 16 or 17 years old,” the agent wrote. “He also admitted to entering the girls’ locker room at the high school for an after-school activity and stealing underwear from the lockers.”

The school is not listed in the case file. Without naming Hungerford, Grandville Superintendent Roger Bearup notified community members in May that school officials were investigating and had issued a trespassing order to one community member.

“He, like all of our parents, did not have unsupervised access to our school during the school day, but was in our buildings for sporting events and after-school meetings,” Bearup wrote. “We have no evidence that he ever actually entered the girls’ locker room at Grandville High School, however we are investigating.”

In May, FBI agents searched Hungerford’s home and found “numerous pairs of children’s underwear and clothing,” according to the affidavit.

Investigators also tested USB drives found in Hungerford’s pockets.

“Several folders with titles indicating child pornography and child pornography sites were located,” the agent wrote. “According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, images and films were found in some folders depicting possible known victims of child pornography.”

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