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Murphy – A local man has pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography.
Larry Keith “Thunder Wolf” Limon, 52, pled guilty in federal court on Nov. 30. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, local authorities received three separate cybertips between June 2017 and January 2019 concerning the distribution of child pornography by Limon. Officials say one of the cybertip reports contained four images of child pornography, one of which showed a prepubescent girl between ages 7-10 performing a sexual act on an adult man.
Federal authorities raided Limon’s home in March 2019. During the raid, officials seized several digital devices that also contained images of child pornography.
Limon was indicted by a grand jury on June 2, 2020. He was arrested by federal authorities about two weeks later.
Plea documents say Limon admitted using two Gmail accounts to send emails containing child pornography images. He also admitted to using Tumblr.com to send and receive child pornography. A judge ruled that two laptops, two cell phones and a tablet owned by Limon could be permanently forfeited to the federal government pursuant to civil forfeiture laws.
As a veteran who retired after serving 21 years in the U.S. Navy, Limon was well known in Cherokee County as a leader in the military community. He is being held in the Buncombe County Detention Facility as he awaits sentencing due to back surgery he underwent in August.
“I requested Buncombe County because I wanted him near where he’d need to be if he had to go to the hospital, and I know that’s where they like to put [inmates who have medical issues],” said his attorney, Rich Cassady. “He has several health conditions, but
it seems that he is being treated well in the Buncombe jail.”