JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former second grade teacher charged with distribution of child pornography pleaded guilty Tuesday.
According to the terms of the plea deal reached with federal prosecutors, Thomas Hazouri, a former coach and teacher at Mayport Elementary, pleaded guilty to one count of knowing distribution of child pornography in violation of federal law.
He was initially charged with 25 counts.
The penalty for a single count is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 5 years and not more than 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000 or both, along with supervised release of between five years and life. He must also pay an assessment of $400 due on date of sentencing and is required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. District Judge Monte Richardson did not set a date for sentencing.
Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and a blue surgical mask, Hazouri answered only questions briefly, telling the judge he was “guilty, your honor.” He wiped his eyes several times.
His attorney Hank Coxe told the judge he wanted to point out that “there is no evidence of any physical touching of any child in this investigation.”
It regards to a reference in the case to videos taken by Hazouri in his home, “I want to eliminate the perception that Mr. Hazouri was doing anything illegal in his home.”
He also noted that in regards to the “distribution” charge, the app used by Hazouri actually sends the content to whoever is engaged at the time, which according to prosecutors, was 46 users at that time.
Hazouri is the son of current City Councilmember and former Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Hazouri. There were no family members or supporters in the courtroom, only a few reporters, a sketch artist and a security agent.
According to a federal indictment, in addition to having hundreds of images of children being sexually exploited by adults, Hazouri also had non-sexual but still concerning photos of students in his classroom. He was charged with 25 counts of distributing images of child sexual exploitation.
Christina Peterman, whose daughter was in Hazouri’s class when the investigation began, told First Coast News before the hearing she wanted Hazouri to serve prison time.
“Seven to ten years,” she said when asked what an appropriate sentence would be. “That sounds kind of harsh, but like I said these are kids. They don’t deserve it.”
Peterman says while her daughter was not directly victimized, she has been traumatized by the case.
“My daughter trusted him," she explains.
"And she always questions me now on who to trust. And me as a mom, I feel like I don't even have sometimes the best answer, because it's hard to trust anyone any nowadays.”
She added, “I'm trying my best with her, and she's doing okay. It’s just, you know, just not being able to trust your own teacher.”
Hazouri’s attorneys declined comment after the hearing concluded.