The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the arrest of Thomas LeGro, a Pulitzer Prize-winning video journalist and Deputy Director of Video at The Washington Post, on charges of possessing child pornography.
The arrest followed a raid at LeGro’s residence on June 26. The FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted the operation. Agents reportedly seized several electronic devices during the operation.
DOJ Discovers 11 Folders of Child Sexual Abuse Content on Work Laptop
The DOJ reports that researchers discovered 11 folders full of child sexual abuse content on the work-issued laptop of LeGro. To add, FBI agents also uncovered shattered remnants of a hard drive lying in a hallway off the door where the laptop was kept. This raised suspicions of a possible cover-up or destruction of evidence.
Accomplished Journalist With a Garnished Career
Thomas LeGro started in 2000 as a news aide at The Washington Post. He moved to PBS NewsHour after six years and stayed there for over six years. In 2013, he came back to The Post as a video editor and worked his way up to Deputy Director of Video.
During his career, LeGro was also a key figure in big investigations. He was a member of The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting team in 2018 that covered Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. He also won a National Reporting Pulitzer with The New York Times.
DOJ Seeks Charges Under Project Safe Childhood
The Department of Justice emphasized that this case falls under its Project Safe Childhood initiative. The nationwide effort was launched in 2006 to combat the online exploitation and abuse of children.
“The FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force led the raid and the arrest,” the DOJ said in an official statement.
Assistant US Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Janani Iyengar from the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
LeGro has yet to enter a plea and has an ongoing investigation. The Washington Post has not stated the charges or LeGro’s working status.
