Global Courant 2023-05-20 23:16:22
Warning: This article contains graphic details.
A former gymnastics and cheerleading coach in Allen, Texas, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for felonies involving child pornography, officials say.
Darren Frank McCoy, 55, pleaded guilty to the crimes on Dec. 1, 2022. The United States Attorney’s Office, the Southern District of Texas, announced the sentencing Tuesday.
As a coach, McCoy surreptitiously recorded teenagers “in various stages of undress” without their knowledge. He previously coached Metroplex Gymnastics and Swim in Allen and Top Dog Cheer in Montgomery, Alabama.
The US Attorney’s Office says the former coach “unlawfully transported” the illegal photos and videos, as well as other child pornography. U.S. District Judge Jeffery V. Brown ordered McCoy to 240 months in prison.
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The Pearland Police Department and the Galveston Police Department assisted Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection in the investigation. (Google Maps)
McCoy was first investigated in November 2019, when authorities spotted him on a cruise ship in the Galveston Port of Entry. He was previously charged with possession of child pornography in 2015.
While searching McCoy, officials found nine hidden camera videos of teens changing or showering in bathrooms, gyms and a hotel. One of the teens was a minor.
“In all, authorities found 10 videos and 290 images of child pornography on McCoy’s devices,” officials said. explained in a press release. “His collection included children between the ages of 1 and 8 in various stages of undress in a hospital, morgue or mortuary.”
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McCoy was previously a coach at Metroplex Gymnastics and Swim in Allen, Texas, officials say. (Google Maps)
“Darren McCoy is the very definition of a predator,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a statement. “This so-called coach secretly filmed teens and abused a minor for several years. Hopefully, knowing that the only bars he will now see are behind a federal prison cell will give his victims some much-anticipated peace of mind.”
In court, one of McCoy’s victims spoke of how badly she had been affected by him and accused him of stealing her childhood. Another victim said she still suffers from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder due to his actions.
The Pearland Police Department and the Galveston Police Department assisted Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection in the investigation.
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McCoy will be transferred to a US Bureau of Prisons facility. He will be released under supervision for 10 years after he gets out of prison.
