Michael Bo Peacock, 50, of Denton, Texas, was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to produce child pornography and sexually exploit children. United States District Judge Dee D. Drell also ordered Peacock to pay a $50,000 fine.
Peacock pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. His co-defendant, Daniel Perryman Collins, 35, of Pineville, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to the same charges and received a sentence of just over 27 years in February 2025.
The case stemmed from an investigation into individuals using the dark web to communicate about exploiting children online and producing child pornography. Between January and November 2023, Peacock operated out of Dallas while Collins worked from Pineville. They coerced minors into creating explicit images and videos through threats and blackmail.
According to court information, both men met with children or contacted them online through social media platforms. They convinced victims to engage in sexually explicit acts on video and then used threats to force the production of more material. Collins employed advanced security measures so that their activities could not be traced back to either defendant.
Both defendants shared access to all material produced by using an overseas cloud-based file hosting service. Each had an encryption key for the account where they posted and stored images and videos created or obtained during the scheme. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit determined that more than 100 children were victimized by Peacock and Collins.
A search warrant executed at Collins’ residence in Pineville on November 16, 2023 led law enforcement agents to obtain access to their cloud-based account. Agents downloaded all child pornography images and videos posted there as evidence.
“This sentence should send a strong message to anyone who may be involved in this type of behavior and the sexual exploitation of minor children that this crime will not be tolerated,” said Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “Our office and the state and federal agents who investigate these cases are committed to standing strong together in the fight to end this type of illegal activity in our nation and internationally. We will continue to work to protect our children from being preyed upon by offenders such as this.”
“Through relentless investigations and cutting-edge technology, the FBI works every day to uncover hidden networks that exploit children,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Jose A. Perez. “This case underscores the relentless dedication of the FBI's Child Exploitation Operational Unit to ensuring no predator can thrive at the expense of our children. Offenders like Michael Bo Peacock preyed on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, and we will stop at nothing to identify, investigate and bring these predators to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by agents from the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit with help from field offices in New Orleans and Dallas. Assistant United States Attorneys Danny Siefker and J. Luke Walker prosecuted the case.
In recent years there has been a significant increase in reports related to child sexual abuse materials; for example, in 2023 alone over 36 million such reports were made nationwide according https://report.cybertip.org.
Anyone wishing report incidents involving possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material can contact NCMEC at https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678.
