Hitchcock man sentenced after using Facebook to entice minor, sent nude pictures to relative
Texas - After years, a Hitchcock man has been sentenced to prison for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography says U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani
On Tuesday, Luke Allen Gregory, 55, was sentenced to 22 and a half years for the production, possession, and receipt of child pornography as well as the transfer of obscene material by U.S. District Judge Jeffery V. Brown. He pleaded guilty to the charges on July 7, 2022, court records state.
"Gregory manipulated a minor for the purpose of his deviant sexual desire," said Hamdani. "To make it even worse, that young female was a relative. If he could do that, he is capable of so much more. Thankfully, the sentence imposed today will eliminate that possibility of danger to our kids. Gregory’s actions also serve as a reminder to us as parents to be diligent in monitoring our children’s social media activity."
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the court heard evidence of how Gregory manipulated a minor victim in this case by threatening to kill himself and his daughter when she had tried to end the relationship and sent a photo with a gun to his head.
After his release from prison, Gregory will serve the rest of his life on supervised release and will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
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Law enforcement says they became aware of Gregory in October 2019 after Facebook reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children a user was using the platform to entice a minor to produce and distribute files depicting child pornography.
After investigating, authorities discovered Gregory owned the account, and on Oct. 10, 2019, a federal search warrant was executed on his residence in Hitchcock.
Authorities seized his electronic devices including his cellphone and after forensic analysis multiple images of the minor in which her genitals were displayed in a lewd and lascivious manner were found, records say.
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The 55-year-old admitted to law enforcement he was texting and engaging in sexual conversations with a minor female, who he knew just turned 16 and was related to him.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Gregory stated the two of them had exchanged nude images of each other. The victim also told this to law enforcement and told them Gregory had gotten her name tattooed on his right thigh.
Gregory will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.