Irwin man sentenced to federal prison for viewing sexually explicit content

An Irwin man was sentenced Monday to 15 months in a federal prison for looking at computer-generated and anime-type images of infants involved in sexually explicit conduct.

Thomas W. Crosby IV, 30, was on supervised release in two child pornography possession cases when he viewed the explicit content, according to prosecutors.

Crosby pleaded no contest to violating the terms of his release in the two cases, according to court filings.

Crosby was serving in the military in New Mexico in 2018 when authorities reported finding child pornography on his computer, tablet, cell phone and storage devices. After being terminated and returning home to Irwin, investigators said they found three times as many child pornography videos on his cell phone in 2020.

He was indicted in both locations, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in July 2023 in New Mexico to time served in prison with 15 years of supervised release, through 2038.

In February, probation officers found through computer monitoring that Crosby had looked at computer-generated child pornography materials. Probation officers requested a revocation for violating the terms of his release, according to court filings.

This week, U.S. District Judge Christy C. Weigand banned Crosby from having electronic devices or using the internet for 60 days after he gets out of prison, prosecutors said. He was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after the prison term.

Crosby has significant mental health treatment needs and hadn’t been able to access care after his doctor left the practice Crosby had been visiting, according to a court filing by assistant federal public defender Gabrielle Lee.