Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
Thomas Encil Blake, a 28-year-old resident of Brownstown, Michigan, has been sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for producing and receiving child pornography. Judge Laurie J. Michelson handed down the sentence following an investigation that uncovered thousands of illegal images and videos.
Blake was also sentenced to 60 months for receipt of child pornography, which will run concurrently with his longer sentence for production involving a six-year-old child. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, who was joined by Matthew Stentz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit.
The case began in 2023 when local law enforcement were alerted after a father discovered nude images of an adult man on his 13-year-old daughter’s phone. Authorities referred the matter to HSI, who identified Blake as living in Southeast Michigan. In February 2024, HSI executed a search warrant at Blake’s home and found more than 8,000 images and over 6,000 videos of child pornography across multiple devices. Some files depicted infants and toddlers as well as bestiality. During an interview with investigators, Blake admitted to downloading and sharing child pornography through social messaging apps.
Investigators also learned that Blake often babysat children aged five to six years old for people close to him. Evidence recovered from his iPhone included videos and images showing him committing sexual acts on sleeping children.
“This wicked man produced the vilest materials. He committed appalling crimes against little children that were entrusted to his care. And then he was ensnared by the work of his hands. We are thankful for the justice that was delivered through this court,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said.
“We will hold sexual predators accountable for the torment they inflict on innocent children,” said ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz. “Our HSI special agents will continue to investigate crimes of exploitation in collaboration with our law enforcement partners. We are working everyday toward justice for the victims and survivors of these crimes wherever they may be.”
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Zurek and Ann Nee. Restitution matters are being managed by Jessica Nathan.
