COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A former Cub Scout leader and coach from Cobb County will spend years in federal prison after sharing child pornography online and convincing children to produce more of it for him.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that former Cub Scout leader, baseball and football coach Ernest Vera pled guilty to distributing child sex abuse videos through the Kik messaging app.
“No matter their age, child sex predators like Ernest Vera must be prosecuted and punished,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement.
The 73-year-old Powder Spring resident’s home was searched by FBI agents in 2021 after they learned he was using social media to send and receive child sexual abuse materials.
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“Every image of child sexual abuse material represents the exploitation and victimization of a real child,” Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said. “Vera actively sought out and traded these horrific images online, fueling the demand for child exploitation. The FBI remains committed to identifying those who prey on children and bringing them to justice, regardless of their age or where they operate.”
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While being interviewed at his home by agents, USDOJ says Vera admitted to using the Kik app to view and trade explicit images of children as young as 13.
Justice Department officials also said Vera told investigators he used Kik to encourage users he thought may be teenage girls living in other countries to send him sexual images of themselves, which they did.
Vera told federal agents the children who sent those images were located in India, Thailand and South Africa.
A search of Vera’s digital devices and cellphone by the FBI found about 90 images and a dozen videos depicting child sex abuse, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Monday, Vera was sentenced to serve six years in prison without the possibility of parole.
After leaving prison, Vera will be on 10 years of supervised release.
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