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by ERIN PARROTT
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Federal prosecutors have secured a guilty plea from the Florida man accused of conspiring with disgraced former Charleston County magistrate judge James B. “Skipper” Gosnell Jr. in one of South Carolina’s most disturbing federal child sexual abuse material (CSAM) prosecutions.
According to a plea agreement filed in U.S. district court on Thursday (May 28, 2026), 69-year-old John Badger Thorpe of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material and two counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Thorpe’s guilty plea marks a significant development in the broader federal case involving Gosnell – who was arrested in September 2025 and later indicted on multiple child pornography-related charges following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) probe.
As FITSNews previously reported, federal prosecutors alleged Gosnell maintained a long-running interest in child sexual abuse material and communicated with like-minded individuals across state lines. The newly filed plea agreement and accompanying federal court filings provide a chilling look at Thorpe’s relationship with Gosnell.
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According to U.S. attorney Bryan P. Stirling, Thorpe began communicating with Gosnell in December 2023 through text messages and encrypted applications. During those conversations, the two men allegedly discussed their mutual sexual interest in minors, particularly the violent sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
Federal authorities further alleged that during the summer of 2024, Gosnell traveled to Thorpe’s Florida home with a flash drive containing child sexual abuse material, which the two men allegedly viewed together. Prosecutors say Gosnell left the drive with Thorpe, who later mailed it back to Charleston via FedEx.
But the conduct did not end there. According to a release from Stirling’s office, Thorpe distributed additional child sexual abuse material to Gosnell in August and September 2025 – including an explicit image depicting a toddler that the two men allegedly discussed abusing.
In November of 2025, this outlet reported that prosecutors alleged the men discussed their plans to “rape and torture a prepubescent minor” – a child believed to be the infant son of Thorpe’s nephew – during an encounter tentatively scheduled for sometime that month.
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Thorpe originally faced multiple charges after being named as Gosnell’s alleged co-conspirator in a federal indictment unsealed in October 2025 – with court records showing he was arrested in the Southern district of Florida in November 2025 before being transferred to South Carolina to face prosecution. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges before reaching the plea agreement announced this week.
Thorpe pleaded guilty before U.S. district judge Richard Gergel, with federal prosecutors agreeing to dismiss the remaining charges at sentencing as part of the plea agreement. The agreement also requires Thorpe to cooperate fully with investigators and prosecutors, including providing truthful information regarding any criminal activity known to him.
Thorpe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years on each count. He could also face fines of up to $250,000 per count, restitution payments to victims and a lifetime term of supervised release following any prison sentence. Federal court records further indicate he will be required to register as a sex offender upon release.
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The case remains pending against Gosnell – who has continued to challenge the government’s evidence through a series of pretrial motions while remaining detained. Federal court records show the prosecution has generated extensive discovery and ongoing litigation over suppression issues, contributing to multiple continuances in the case.
HSI led the investigation, with assistant U.S. attorneys Katherine Orville and Emily Limehouse prosecuting the case as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative – a nationwide effort aimed at identifying, investigating and prosecuting individuals who sexually exploit children.
With Thorpe now convicted, attention will increasingly shift to the pending prosecution of Gosnell and the evidence federal investigators have amassed against him.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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