West Michigan man charged in child pornography case

June 27, 2024

A federal grand jury has indicted a West Michigan man on child pornography charges.

The indictment filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan against 54-year-old Thomas Aaron Hungerford lists sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of distribution of child pornography.

The last two charges could each carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan said in a press release.

Hungerford could also face up to 30 years in prison for the earlier charge. Jurors cited evidence that he filmed minors engaging in sexually explicit activities, the press release said.

The arraignment is scheduled for July 27 at 10 a.m.

The charges come after Hungerford was charged in a criminal complaint on May 24 with distributing child pornography. That charge alone could bring Hungerford a maximum sentence of up to 20 years, authorities said.

More: Peeping Tom Thomas Hungerford spied on girls and stole underwear from high school, FBI claims

“Sexual exploitation of our youngest and most vulnerable is an ongoing threat,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in the press release. “Protecting children is a critical part of our mission. While we always want to prevent harm from coming to a child, we stand ready to hold perpetrators who commit these crimes accountable.”

Officials said Hungerford has been in custody since his arrest on May 25.

Hungerford’s attorney, Pavol Fabian, told the Detroit News on Thursday: “These are undoubtedly serious charges. But we must not lose sight of a fundamental constitutional principle: Mr. Hungerford is presumed innocent at all times until proven otherwise – beyond a reasonable doubt. The case has only just begun, and we now wait to receive and carefully examine the government’s evidence.”

FBI investigators in Omaha, Nebraska, searched another suspect’s phone to find Hungerford, and the suspect exchanged 2,328 messages and 679 files, many of which were child pornography, through the Sessions app, according to the criminal complaint.

In Wednesday’s indictment, Hungerford is accused of using an iPhone to record, save and send three video files, the documents say.

An FBI special agent in Detroit listed in the complaint at least five explicit videos and files containing child pornography that Hungerford sent to the suspect between November 5, 2023, and March 8, 2023.

In the chat, Hungerford speculated about sexually molesting children and abusing a drugged child, according to the indictment. He also sent messages to the suspect claiming he had watched children outside a dance studio on Nov. 6 and filmed another girl through the windows of her home.

“It took a long time and I always denied it to myself,” Hungerford said in an initial conversation with the suspect. “But when I finally admitted to myself that I was a pedo, it was like an awakening.”

According to the complaint, officers found several IP addresses linked to Hungerford’s username “bsanders,” including an iMSGSRC account with several albums suggesting child erotica.

Hungerford told investigators on May 23 that he had child pornography on his phone, tablet and two USB sticks and that he had taken photographs of children in public places.

He also admitted breaking into the homes of two families with children between the ages of 9 and 18 to steal their clothing and underwear, the indictment says. Hungerford told investigators he filmed a girl in her home who he believed was 16 or 17 years old.

FBI investigators later found several pairs of children’s underwear and clothing in Hungerford’s home on May 23.