Northeast Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing CSAM

ATHENS, Ga. - A Walton County man was sentenced to 11 years in prison after law enforcement discovered he was in possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse material, also known as CSAM, including 2,754 images of previously identified victims of child exploitation and abuse from across the world.

Gerald Scott Collins, 56, of Monroe, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 132 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. "Tripp" Self on March 9, after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on Nov. 10, 2025. Collins will have to register as a sex offender upon release from federal custody. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.

"Child sexual abuse material is evidence of real children being abused, and once online, it can be shared endlessly," said U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes. "Our office will seek maximum punishment for child predators possessing CSAM. We are thankful for the efforts of our local, state and federal law enforcement and community partners who continue to do everything in their power to protect children."

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, law enforcement became aware of Collins's possession of CSAM in 2022. Homeland Security Investigations agents obtained and executed search warrants for the seized electronic devices, including a laptop computer, tablets, USB drives, external hard drives and SD cards. Nine of Collins' devices contained a total of 9,996 images, 19 videos and an additional 791 documents containing CSAM.

The CSAM involved prepubescent females under the age of 12, including toddlers, who were subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation. Some of the images depicted violent and sadistic online exploitation. Law enforcement agents forwarded the images and videos to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for comparison using the organization's Child Recognition and Identification System. This system, in partnership with national and international law enforcement, helps identify victims and perpetrators worldwide by compiling previously identified victims into distinct series. NCMEC determined that 2,754 images of previously identified victims were found across 226 named series from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

For more information about HSI's efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969.

HSI and the Walton County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett is prosecuting the case for the Government.