Midtown Businessman Sentenced in Kiddie Porn Case

Thomas Joseph Schloeder, a co-owner of Brushstrokes in Midtown, was sentenced Wednesday to eight years and one month in federal prison for receiving thousands of images and videos of child pornography on his home computer.

United States District Judge Orinda D. Evans also ordered that Schloeder, 47, must register as a sex offender and pay a fine of $75,000.

“Collecting images and videos showing the sexual abuse of children is a despicable act,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement.

“Our continued work to prosecute and punish individuals who possess, receive and distribute child pornography should serve notice to those who may consider engaging in this behavior that it will not be tolerated.” 

According to the criminal indictment in November 2012, a DeKalb County police detective conducted an investigation of individuals using peer-to-peer technology to download child pornography and make it available to others.

During that investigation, he determined that a computer located at Schloeder’s Brookhaven home had made available over 100 images of child pornography over the preceding months.

On Nov. 15, 2012, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his home and seized several computers and electronic storage devices.

Forensic examination of those items revealed several thousand images and videos of child pornography, some of which contained depictions of minors being raped by adults and sex acts between minors and animals.