NOTE VIDEO AT THE END OF ARTICLE
This case is part of the DOJ’s Project Safe
On June 26, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the home of 48-year-old Thomas Pham LeGro, a long-time video editor at The Washington Post. The raid, conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Washington, D.C., uncovered a shocking find on his work-issued MacBook: 11 videos depicting child sexual abuse material. Agents also discovered shattered fragments of a hard drive outside the basement office where the laptop was located.
LeGro, who has spent 18 years at The Washington Post, currently serves as Deputy Director of Video. He previously worked at PBS NewsHour (2006–2013) and was part of a Post team awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for their investigative coverage of former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
The Department of Justice, led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, announced the charges on Friday, June 27. According to court documents, in May, authorities began monitoring LeGro’s internet activity after obtaining a court order. The search warrant was issued shortly before the raid. The FBI’s affidavit is heavily redacted, leaving key details about the earlier E-Gold investigation (2005–2006) and the catalyst for renewed surveillance unclear.
LeGro’s first appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington was on June 27, where he was detained and scheduled for a detention hearing the following Wednesday. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on federal charges of possessing child pornography.
In response, The Washington Post stated it “understands the severity of these allegations” and has placed LeGro on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
This case is part of the DOJ’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, designed to combat online child exploitation. Prosecutors emphasize that charges are allegations and the accused remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
