A Pineville resident, Daniel Perryman Collins, 34, has been sentenced to over 27 years in prison for his involvement in child exploitation and the production of child pornography. The sentence was delivered by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell, with an additional five years of supervised release.
The investigation revealed that from January to November 2023, Collins and his co-defendant, Michael Bo Peacock, coerced minors into producing explicit content using threats and blackmail. Collins operated from Pineville, Louisiana while Peacock was based in Dallas, Texas.
Court records showed that the defendants met children online through social media platforms like SnapChat. They manipulated victims into engaging in sexually explicit activities and demanded videos of these acts. Subsequently, they threatened the victims to obtain more material.
Both men shared access to a cloud-based file hosting service overseas where they stored the illicit content. An encryption key allowed them to secure this material. The FBI's Child Exploitation Operational Unit discovered that over 100 minors were exploited by Collins and Peacock during their criminal activities.
In November 2023, a search warrant at Collins' home led law enforcement to retrieve incriminating evidence from the cloud account used by both defendants.
Collins pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, to conspiracy charges related to child pornography production and enticing a minor for sexual activity. Peacock entered a guilty plea on December 23, 2024; his sentencing is pending.
Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook commented on the case: “The sexual exploitation of minor children and the activities that these men participated in is horrendous and sickening.” He urged parents to be vigilant against such dangers.
FBI Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough emphasized the agency's dedication: “Through relentless investigations and cutting-edge technology...the FBI is committed to protecting vulnerable lives.”
The investigation involved several FBI units across New Orleans and Dallas under Assistant United States Attorney Danny Siefker’s prosecution.
Reports of child pornography can be filed with NCMEC at https://report.cybertip.org or via phone at 1-800-843-5678.
