ST. LOUIS — A man from Franklin County who threatened to send nude pictures of a teenager to her mother pleaded guilty to a child pornography charge Tuesday.
Thomas Carl Crimmins, 51, of Sullivan, admitted shooting a video of sex acts with the 17-year-old with whom he was in a relationship in 2017. He also admitted texting three nude and semi-nude pictures to her after she broke up with him, threatening to send them to her mother, according to testimony during the plea hearing.
At his sentencing on the charge of producing child porn, prosecutors will seek 25 years in prison and Crimmins' lawyer will ask for the mandatory minimum of 15 years, U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig said during the hearing, held via Zoom, in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
Crimmins said he did not know that he was breaking the law by shooting the videos. Federal criminal law defines anyone under 18 as a minor.
Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
