Gosnell Co-Conspirator Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material

CHARLESTON, S.C. - John Badger Thorpe, 69, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material and two counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in December 2023, Thorpe began communicating with former Charleston County Magistrate Judge James Benjamin Gosnell, Jr., via text message and encrypted apps. Thorpe and Gosnell discussed their shared sexual preference for minors, primarily the violent sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. In the summer of 2024, Gosnell traveled to Thorpe's home in Florida with a flash drive containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Thorpe and Gosnell viewed the CSAM together, and then Gosnell left the thumb drive of CSAM with Thorpe, who then sent it back to Gosnell in Charleston via FedEx. In August and September of 2025, Thorpe distributed CSAM to Gosnell by sending him an explicit image of a toddler they discussed abusing.

Thorpe faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and up to a lifetime of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Thorpe after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

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

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Orville and Emily Limehouse are prosecuting the case.

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* The term "child pornography" is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, "child sexual abuse material" is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child.

NOTE: James Benjamin Gosnell, Jr. has pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of child sexual abuse material involving a prepubescent minor, three counts of receipt and attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material, conspiracy to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material, and distribution of child sexual abuse material. He is scheduled for trial beginning Aug. 24, 2026.