A man already serving a 25-year sentence for molesting a child is accused of using a cellphone he allegedly possessed illegally in his prison cell to keep contacting a minor and to generate thousands of AI-created child sexual abuse images, including ones depicting his original victim. Thomas Kendall Jr., 44, had been locked up at Martin Correctional Institution since 2024 for Broward County convictions on lewd or lascivious molestation and conduct, along with video voyeurism, when investigators say they uncovered the new evidence inside his cell.
According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Martin County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered evidence of continued criminal activity inside Kendall's cell after he became the subject of an Internet Crimes Against Children tip alleging he was communicating with a minor. Detectives recovered a cellphone they say Kendall possessed illegally, and that phone allegedly showed he had been communicating with a minor through social media. As reported by cbs12.com, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said detectives received the tip last month about a phone downloading large amounts of child sexual abuse material.
Thousands of Images, Including the Victim From His Original Case
Investigators say the phone contained thousands of child sexual abuse images, and among them were AI-generated pornographic images depicting the same victim from Kendall's original Broward County case. The sheriff's report also describes Kendall sending an AI-generated nude image of a man to young girls on Snapchat, which Budensiek estimated reached anywhere from hundreds to thousands of children, per the same account relayed by cbs12.com.
The sheriff said Kendall traded some images with others, but investigators do not believe the AI-generated images of his original victim were among those shared, and that victim has been notified, according to cbs12.com. The Martin County Sheriff's Office has not released further information about the original tip that triggered the search of Kendall's cell, the Sun Sentinel reports.
New Charges Expected After Jail Transfer
The sheriff's office said Kendall will be transferred to the Martin County Jail to face new charges, including possession of child sexual abuse material, after continuing what deputies describe as inappropriate communication with a minor from behind bars. As of Friday night, Kendall was being held in disciplinary confinement at the Martin County state prison, and court records on the new allegations were not yet available, according to the Sun Sentinel. The FBI has also charged Kendall with producing child pornography in connection with the case, and he is expected to serve federal time once his state sentence concludes, cbs12.com reports.
Kendall was first arrested in November 2023 after authorities searched his Deerfield Beach home, and a Broward County judge sentenced him in September 2024 to 25 years in prison on the molestation and voyeurism charges. The Florida Department of Corrections issued a statement, cbs12.com reports.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Contraband-Fueled Abuse
Kendall's case echoes other recent instances of incarcerated people using phones or prison-issued devices to continue exploiting children. A Florida inmate at Madison Correctional Institution was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after investigators found he used a prison-issued tablet to receive and distribute child pornography, according to the FBI. Separately, an Oklahoma inmate was sentenced to life in federal prison after using a contraband cellphone to sexually exploit and coerce a 12-year-old South Florida child into producing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Department of Justice says.
Under Florida law, online enticement of a minor is addressed by Florida Statute 847.0135, known as the Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act, which the Florida Legislature classifies as a third-degree felony for knowingly using an online or internet service to seduce, solicit, lure or entice a child. The statute also allows prosecution when the conduct involves a child residing in Florida even if it occurs outside the state, according to the same law. It remains unclear whether this is the specific statute under which Kendall will be charged in Martin County.
