US Dept. of Justice seal.
A local high school teacher was charged in federal court with transporting child pornography on an international flight from Chicago to Mexico City.
Thomas Neal, 42, was arrested after Mexican border authorities selected him for a secondary customs screening at Benito Juárez International Airport on June 17, according to a criminal complaint. Authorities reportedly found explicit images and videos of young children on his cellphone.
Mexican officials secured Neal’s phone, two laptops, and six electronic storage devices in his luggage, zip-tied the baggage shut, and placed him on a direct flight to Houston. Upon arrival at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Homeland Security Investigations agents searched his phone and reportedly discovered hundreds of files containing child pornography.
According to a criminal complaint prepared by HSI Special Agent Tracy Altman, some files dated back to 2023. The complaint also noted that a former romantic partner had filed a tip in 2023 alleging Neal regularly carried a two-terabyte hard drive containing child pornography.
Guardia Nacional de Mexico.
Neal had been employed since 2017 as a German and Spanish language teacher at Niles North and Niles West high schools in Skokie. Following his arrest, the Niles Township High School Dist. 219 Board of Education voted unanimously to dismiss Neal at a special meeting on Monday, June 29.
Neal remains in federal custody pending further court proceedings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
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