Sacramento resident charged with receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment yesterday against Jayden Virgil Thomas, 19, of Sacramento, charging Thomas with receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, in June 2026, Thomas received and distributed video files of CSAM on multiple occasions. Thomas committed these offenses while residing 0.2 miles from an elementary school. The investigation began after law enforcement received a tip indicating that Thomas possessed CSAM.

Thomas is currently facing a separate case in the Eastern District of California involving charges of destruction of government property and assault on federal officers. United States v. Thomas, Case No. 2:26-cr-110. According to court documents in that case, in Jan. 7, 2026, and again in June 25, 2026, Thomas damaged government property at 650 Capitol Mall in Sacramento. During the June incident, Thomas assaulted four federal officers who responded to the scene and attempted to make an arrest. A subsequent search of a cellphone seized during that arrest revealed more than 100 videos depicting CSAM.

The Federal Protective Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Hi-Tech Unit of the Yolo County District Attorney's Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian T. Kinsella and Zachary Ray are prosecuting the case.

If convicted of either of the CSAM counts, Thomas faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In the separately charged case, if convicted of assault on a federal officer or depredation against property of the United States, Thomas faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Any sentences, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.