Federal agents say a routine security check on a flight to Mexico exposed a secret stash of child pornography belonging to a 42-year-old Chicago high school teacher, who is now locked up and facing a serious federal charge.
The teacher, identified in court documents as Thomas Neal, was charged Friday with transporting child pornography after Mexican border officials allegedly discovered sexually explicit images involving minors on his phone during a June 17 flight from O'Hare International Airport to Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City. Neal is being held in federal custody ahead of a detention hearing set for Monday, June 29, 2026, in Chicago, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Prosecutors say Mexican authorities pulled Neal aside for secondary inspection when he arrived in Mexico City. During that screening, officials seized his phone, two laptops and six electronic storage devices, then placed him and his luggage on a flight to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in its release.
Once in Texas, Homeland Security Investigations agents examined Neal's phone and found “hundreds” of files that qualify as child pornography, according to ABC7 Chicago. The outlet reports that Neal works as a teacher at a high school in the Northern District of Illinois, but notes that neither the complaint nor officials identify the school by name.
How investigators say the case unfolded
The criminal complaint charges Neal with one count of transportation of child pornography, a federal offense announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to the complaint, HSI agents reviewed the material under their border-search authority after Neal was referred for secondary inspection. The filing was made in U.S. District Court in Chicago, and, as prosecutors routinely emphasize, it is an accusation, not proof of guilt.
What the charge carries
Under federal law, specifically 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, a first-time conviction for transporting child pornography carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum of 20 years, with tougher minimums for certain prior convictions, according to the Legal Information Institute. Sentences in these cases typically also include fines, lengthy supervised release and sex-offender registration requirements.
Authorities have not identified Neal's school, and the complaint does not list his employer. Neal remains detained pending his Monday, June 29, 2026, detention hearing in Chicago, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois said.
