Wilmington, Del. - A New Castle, Delaware man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for possessing and attempting to receive child pornography, announced David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware.
On Oct. 24, 2019, a federal jury for the District of Delaware found Thomas Noble, 71, guilty of one count of attempting to receive child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography after three days of trial. On Feb. 26, 2020, Chief U.S. District Judge Leonard P. Stark sentenced Noble to serve 15 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to publicly filed documents and statements made in open court, while executing a search warrant at Noble’s home, law enforcement caught Noble actively downloading child pornography using peer-to-peer file sharing software. Later forensic analysis of Noble’s computer revealed 54 videos of child pornography and more than 900 hundred images of child pornography, including files depicting the sexual exploitation of prepubescent girls. Noble had previously been convicted in the State of Delaware on child pornography charges.
U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated as follows, "Our office is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable among us - our children - from the abhorrent shadow industry that produces, distributes, and collects child pornography and from those who lurk in its base marketplace. Defendant’s time of preying on our children has come to an end."
“The 15-year sentence imposed on Noble sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those possessing sexually explicit images of children," said William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia. “HSI is dedicated to identifying these predators, and bring them to justice."
“As a New Castle, Delaware man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, everyone should know the protection of our children are a top priority for Delaware Law Enforcement. Our laser focus is to defend, guard and shield our most vulnerable for a safer Delaware. We are beholden to the prosecutors and the investigators who work tirelessly to protect our precious children from predators who seek to exploit them," said Sergeant Richard Bratz, spokesperson for the Delaware State Police.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Delaware State Police investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Graham L. Robinson and Alexander P. Ibrahim of the District of Delaware prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
