Latest news with #ThomasPhamLeGro
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Washington Post journalist Thomas Pham LeGro charged with possession of child pornography
Award-winning journalist Thomas Pham LeGro has been charged with possession of child pornography after a raid of his Washington DC home. LeGro, 48, a video journalist with the Washington Post, appeared in court Friday after agents allegedly found 11 videos 'depicting child sexual abuse material' on a laptop in his home. According to the US Attorney's Office in DC, agents seized a number of devices from LeGro's home on Thursday, including a laptop. It is alleged fractured pieces of a hard drive from another device were also found in the home. According to a report from LeGro's employer, he worked at the Post for 18 years in two stints since 2000 and served as video editor. Prosecutors say sickening materials were found on LeGro's work computer. The FBI said the raid came as a result of a previous investigation in 2005 that linked LeGro to an account on payment company E-Gold, which used by child pornography websites. In 2006 a subpoena to a third-party tech firm also linked LeGro to the account, and two other E-Gold profiles also had the same address and phone number as the first account, the Washington Post reported. LeGro, 48, a video journalist with the Washington outlet, appeared in court Friday after agents allegedly found 11 videos 'depicting child sexual abuse material' on a laptop in his home If convicted, LeGro faces up to 20 years in prison. An FBI affidavit, much of which was reportedly redacted, did not say what resulted from the decades-old investigation into LeGro's alleged E-Gold accounts. The FBI said he was snared when the bureau opened a new investigation last month, when a court approved the tracking of a Verizon account owned by LeGro. In a statement, the Washington Post said that it 'understands the severity of these allegations, and the employee has been placed on leave.' LeGro was promoted to deputy video editor at the outlet in February 2024. He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for coverage of the unsuccessful Senate candidacy of Roy Moore in Alabama, whose candidacy was derailed by allegations he sexually assaulted two minors. The US Attorney for DC, former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, singled out FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department in her press release on LeGro's arrest. She said in the release that the investigation that initially targeted LeGro was part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative in 2006. 'In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse,' the release said. 'Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.'
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Who is Thomas Pham LeGro and what did Washington Post editor do? Details on pornography charges
Thomas Pham LeGro, an award-winning journalist with The Washington Post, was charged Friday with possession of child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Washington Post editor Thomas Pham LeGro is facing child pornography charges(X) The 48-year-old journalist was the subject of an FBI investigation, which led to the execution of a search warrant at his home on June 26. During the search, federal agents seized several electronic devices. 'A review of LeGro's work laptop revealed a folder that contained 11 videos depicting child sexual abuse material,' the press release stated. 'During the execution of the search warrant agents observed what appeared to be fractured pieces of a hard drive in the hallway outside the room where LeGro's work laptop was found.' Read More: Donald Trump says terminating trade talks with Canada over digital services tax, warns of new tariff 'This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking,' it added. Who is Thomas Pham LeGro? According to Fox5DC,Thomas Pham LeGro joined The Washington Post in 2013 as a video editor on the breaking news desk. By 2015, he had been promoted to senior producer, overseeing the International, Style, and Technology teams. In 2017, LeGro was part of the Post team that received a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Senate candidacy of Roy Moore. In 2021, he was named executive producer, leading the outlet's Politics, National, International, and Technology video teams. His accolades include a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2018 (as part of a team) and an Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative journalism.
