MS Coast media minister pleads guilty in child porn case. He had 10,000 images.
A retired software developer and former media minister at an Ocean Springs church pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of possessing child pornography.
Cameron “Cam” Cotrill, 67, of Vancleave, entered the plea in federal court in Gulfport. In exchange for the plea, federal prosecutors dismissed a second charge of distribution of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden deferred sentencing in the case until April. Cotrill is facing a prison sentence of up to 20 years, up to $250,000 in fines and more.
Cotrill, shackled and chained in a blue jail jumpsuit, smiled and talked to his attorney, James Farrior, before he went before the judge and admitted he had possessed more than 10,000 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit activity.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones shared with the judge that when investigators went to search his home, they found computers downstairs and in other rooms upstairs.
At the time, Jones said, Cotrill was in the process of uploading certain images and videos, including one of a man with an erection standing over a naked minor child along with a second one of a naked minor child lying on top of a naked man.
Investigators, Jones said, indicated that Cotrill had downloaded certain software on his computer that allowed him to receive and send the images over peer-to-peer networks.
When investigators spoke to Cotrill, Jones said, he described himself as an expert in computer security and admitted downloading the software to access the networks, where users send and receive images of children engaged in sex acts.
His story had changed significantly since his initial arrest.
Cotrill and his family vowed he was innocent of the crime early on, and one of his daughters even set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money for Cotrill’s legal defense. The account was shut down after a Sun Herald report on the case.
According to authorities, Cotrill, the former media minister at Center Pointe Church, had three hard drives for his laptop, had other computers and used his computer expertise to restrict his wife’s Internet access.
Cotrill’s wife and daughter pleaded early on for prayers for Cotrill to fight what they then considered to be bogus allegations against him.
Cotrill’s wife and family did not attend his plea hearing.
Also missing from the hearing were friends and parishioners who had written the judge after Cotrill’s arrest to ask the judge to consider releasing him on bond pending trial.
The judge then denied his request for bond, citing the substantial evidence in the case, the lengthy prison sentence Cotrill faced if convicted, safety concerns for the community, his “significant personal wealth,” and family ties outside the United States.
In the character letters sent to a judge, people described Cotrill as a man committed to his family, faith and community and praised him for his “knowledge of God’s word.”
Peter Meakins, the senior adult pastor at Center Pointe, described Cotrill as a volunteer and member of the church’s “Media Ministry” who “consistently demonstrated conscientiousness to his ministry responsibilities here.”
“His appearance has always been beyond reproach, and he has a very optimistic attitude about life,” the minister said. “In his Christian walk, I believe you would find him solid in his beliefs. He is a man of integrity and good leadership skills, which are virtues we need today.”
In a pitch for donations for Cotrill’s now-deactivated GoFundMe account, his daughter said her father “had been wrongfully arrested on two counts of cybercrimes.”
She described him as a “loving husband ... a great father and amazing grandfather ... and the greatest friend you could ever have.”
His daughter said the crimes he was accused of occurred after he retired as a computer software developer and started working as an independent contractor.
“It was in the process of research that his system was targeted by malware and then flagged by government agencies,” she said. “And he is absolutely undeniably innocent of the charges levied against him.”
Cotrill admitted Monday that he did have child pornography on his computer hard drives.
He is scheduled to return to court in April for sentencing. He has been jailed in Pearl River County since his arrest.
This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 9:24 AM.
