Thomas Morgan, also known as Sondance the Clown, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Monday (Oct. 28) to one count of knowingly receiving child pornography, court records show.
"It's horrendous, disturbing, reprehensible, egregious. Pick any word that you want," said U.S. Attorney Connor Eldridge. "But this is the kind of conduct that we can't let happen in our community, and scares all of us as parents. And again, as a prosecutor, it's our job to throw the book at a guy like this."
The felony is punishable by 5 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. As a stipulation of his guilty plea, Morgan, 48, is required to forfeit his IBM computer and thumb drives and to register as a sex offender, records show.
He will be in the custody of U.S. Marshals while awaiting formal sentencing, which is expected to happen in the next six to eight weeks, officials said.
Five other criminal counts against Morgan were dismissed Monday before U.S. District Chief Judge P.K. Holmes. However, Eldridge said those charges being dropped has no effect on the sentencing in this case.
Morgan was arrested in June on charges of distributing, possessing or viewing child pornography when an online investigation led the Fort Smith Police Department to his home in the 500 block of S. 20th St.
Police seized several items of what they said was digital media containing child pornography.
On his LinkedIn profile, Morgan indicates he was Boss Clown at Class Clown Productions from 2007 to 2011. His specialties are listed as "physical comedy, juggling and pointless variety skills." He attended Central Methodist College for one year in the mid-1980s, his profile indicates.