A former North Texas private school basketball coach will spend the next 40 years behind bars after pleading guilty to running a disturbing scheme that coerced minors into creating sexual content, federal authorities announced.
Michael Bo Peacock, 50, of Denton, previously worked as an assistant girls’ basketball coach at Grapevine Faith Christian School and also coached club and travel basketball in the Dallas area. In November 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced Peacock to 480 months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook of the Western District of Louisiana.
“This sentence should send a strong message to anyone who may be involved in this type of behavior and the sexual exploitation of minor children that this crime will not be tolerated,” Van Hook said in a statement. “We will continue to work to protect our children from being preyed upon by offenders such as this.”
According to prosecutors, Peacock partnered with Daniel Perryman Collins, 35, of Pineville, Louisiana, who was sentenced earlier this year to more than 27 years in prison. Between January and November 2023, the men used social media and the dark web to contact children, threatening and blackmailing them to create explicit images and videos.
While Peacock operated out of the Dallas area, Collins conducted his part of the crimes from Pineville. Investigators say the two stored and shared the material on an encrypted overseas cloud platform, using advanced security measures to cover their tracks. More than 100 children were reportedly exploited during the scheme.
FBI agents recovered the materials after executing a search warrant at Collins’ home on November 16, 2023.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, with support from its Dallas and New Orleans field offices. Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division said the case highlights the bureau’s ongoing fight against predators who target children online.
“Through relentless investigations and cutting-edge technology, the FBI works every day to uncover hidden networks that exploit children,” Perez said. “Offenders like Michael Bo Peacock preyed on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, and we will stop at nothing to identify, investigate, and bring these predators to justice.”
Officials described the operation as carefully planned, with the perpetrators using sophisticated technology to evade detection. The case involved coordination across multiple jurisdictions and agencies, underscoring the scale and severity of their crimes.
He will die in prison. He is 50 now and what prisoner survives 40 years behind bars to age 90? He might be offed in prison much earlier. The 20 years of probation means nothing.
Totally demonic.He got what he deserves