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A Pleasanton Hill man and former Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall counselor has been sentenced to nearly three decades in federal prison.
Thomas Perez Jewell was sentenced Wednesday to 29 years in prison and was ordered to pay $234,000 in restitution for producing child pornography.
According to federal court documents in Oakland, Jewell first came to the attention of law enforcement authorities when he was suspected of distributing and possessing child pornography. A search of Jewell’s Pleasant Hill apartment pursuant to a search warrant revealed evidence that Jewell had sexually molested two minor victims and photographed and videotaped his abuse.
A hard drive hidden under the mattress in Jewell’s bedroom contained thousands of images of the minor victims. Prior to his arrest and conviction, Jewell was employed as a youth counselor and therapist in Contra Costa County.
According to Pleasant Hill police, the case began as an undercover investigation by Martinez police, who had identified Jewell as someone who had allegedly received and distributed child pornography.
On Nov. 18, 2010, police officers from Martinez, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek served a search warrant at Jewell’s home on Massolo Drive in Pleasant Hill and seized several digital storage devices, police said.
According to police, the devices contained more than 13,000 images and videos depicting child pornography and the FBI was called in to help with the investigation.
Jewell, 54, was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 9, 2010. He was charged with production of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, and possession of child pornography
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Douglas of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office.
