Wilton Manors man exchanged child porn with South Carolina judge: Court docs

A Wilton Manors man has been accused in a federal investigation of exchanging child pornography with another man who worked as a judge in South Carolina, along with discussing plans to commit sexual abuse, according to court documents.

John Badger Thorpe, 56, was arrested on Sunday in an operation conducted by police and Homeland Security Investigations. He was charged with possession of child porn and then held for U.S. Marshals, Broward Jail records showed.

Federal investigators allege that Thorpe and James Benjamin Gosnell, Jr., who worked as a judge in Charleston County, South Carolina, started talking on an app in at least December 2023.

Now, the two face nine counts related to child pornography, according to a grand jury indictment. Gosnell was arrested in September, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Until at least September 2025, they discussed the sexual abuse of minors, exchanged sexually explicit images of children and “discussed the use of USB drives as a safe and convenient method to store, distribute and receive child pornography,” the indictment states.

At one point, Gosnell even allegedly traveled to Florida to give Thorpe a USB drive with child porn, which Thorpe then sent back via FedEx.

The two are also accused of “[discussing] future plans to meet with other pedophiles to rape and torture” a child.

Thorpe and Gosnell were ordered to forfeit any property, including electronic equipment, used to obtain or profit from the offenses.

Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, released a statement after Thorpe’s arrest.

“ICE Homeland Security Investigations executed a federal search warrant against John Badger Thorpe for child pornography distribution. HSI arrested this child predator on November 9,” the statement read. “Under Secretary Noem, we will always defend our most vulnerable and get pedophiles off American streets.”

According to Wilton Manors Police, the investigation on Sunday was not related to immigration, and Homeland Security Investigations were focused on individuals who are believed to have participated in “heinous felony crimes.”