Michael Bo Peacock, 50, of Denton, Texas, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to produce child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell in Alexandria, Louisiana. In addition to his prison term, Peacock will be subject to 20 years of supervised release and must pay a $50,000 fine.
Peacock pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, to one count each of conspiracy to produce child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. His co-defendant, Daniel Perryman Collins, 35, of Pineville, Louisiana, also pleaded guilty and received a sentence of over 27 years in February 2025.
The case involved an investigation into individuals using the dark web to exploit children online. Between January and November 2023, Peacock and Collins used threats and blackmail for their sexual gratification to force minor children into producing sexually explicit images and videos. Peacock operated from Dallas while Collins acted from Pineville.
Court information showed that both men met children online through social media platforms. They coerced victims into creating sexually explicit material under threat or blackmail. To conceal their actions, Collins used advanced security measures designed to prevent tracing back the illicit materials.
Both defendants shared access to the child pornography they forced victims to create by maintaining an account with an overseas cloud-based file hosting service. They used encryption keys for access and posted images and videos produced or obtained during their crimes. According to FBI Child Exploitation Operational Unit investigators, more than 100 child victims were exploited by Peacock and Collins.
On November 16, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Collins’ residence in Pineville. Agents accessed the cloud account containing all created images and videos.
“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 FBI’s Headquarter-based Child Exploitation Operational Unit led the investigation with support from its New Orleans and Dallas Field Offices; Assistant United States Attorneys Danny Siefker and J. Luke Walker prosecuted the case.
According to data from national organizations working against child exploitation (https://report.cybertip.org), there were millions of reports involving child sexual abuse material filed each year with authorities such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
