A Glynn County man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to distributing images of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Thomas Webster, 62, of St. Simons Island, Ga., was sentenced to 76 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Webster to pay financial penalties and restitution of $80,300, register as a sex offender, and serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Images of child sexual abuse are lasting reminders of the abuse suffered by each victim, and those who distribute these images perpetuate the victimization,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Thanks to the diligence of our law enforcement partners, Thomas Webster will no longer share these harmful images and is being held accountable for his crimes.”
As described in court documents and testimony, in February 2021, a CyberTip reporting the distribution of child sexual abuse material was shared with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The information identified images that were shared from a Glynn County address through Twitter, now known as X.
The Glynn County Police Department and the FBI determined Webster operated the account that shared the child sexual abuse images, and during a search of his St. Simons residence investigators seized multiple electronic devices storing more than 1,000 images of child pornography. Webster was arrested shortly after his indictment on federal charges in October 2023 and pled guilty to one count of Distribution of Child Pornography in April.
“Webster will spend the next six years of his life in prison, which should send a strong message to anyone who even contemplates distributing images of innocent children,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Along with our state and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to working collectively to prosecute child predators.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the GBI (Georgia Bureau Investigation), and the Glynn County Police Department and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District Assistant U.S. Attorney L. Alexander Hamner.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 or https://report.cybertip.org/.