Thomas Pham LeGro, a journalist at the Washington Post, appeared in U.S. District Court facing charges related to the possession of child pornography. The 48-year-old resident of the District of Columbia was arrested following a search of his home by FBI agents.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the charges and expressed gratitude to FBI Assistant Director Steven J. Jensen and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department for their roles in the investigation.
On June 26, 2025, FBI agents executed a search warrant at LeGro’s residence. Several electronic devices were seized, including a work laptop containing 11 videos depicting child sexual abuse material. Agents also discovered fractured pieces of a hard drive near where the laptop was found.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. This task force is responsible for investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in child exploitation and human trafficking.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Janani Iyengar are handling prosecution duties for this case in the District of Columbia.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in February 2006 to combat online child exploitation and abuse. The initiative coordinates federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders who exploit children online while identifying and rescuing victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
It is important to note that charges are allegations at this stage, with every defendant presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
