(Texas Scorecard) – A former Grapevine girls’ basketball coach was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for engaging in a conspiracy to sexually exploit children and produce child sexual abuse material, commonly known as child pornography.
Michael Bo Peacock, 50, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Prior to his arrest in November 2023, Peacock was a high school girls’ basketball coach at Grapevine Faith Christian School, a private school for pre-K through 12th grade students.
He was also a coach for True Texas Hoops, a competitive girls’ basketball program based in Argyle with facilities in Grapevine.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that Peacock and his co-defendant Daniel Collins exploited more than 100 child victims.
From January to November 2023, Peacock contacted minor victims online and through social media platforms and convinced them to engage in sexually explicit activity and provide video.
Peacock and Collins then used threats and blackmail to coerce their victims to produce more pornographic images of themselves.
A plea agreement stated that Peacock was “adept at meeting and coercing/blackmailing children to engage in sexually explicit conduct and producing videos of said content.”
While Peacock conducted most of his illegal activity in the Dallas area, he occasionally traveled outside of Texas to meet children and engage in sex acts with them, which he recorded.
Collins was “sophisticated in the area of computer and network security” and helped Peacock hide his illegal activity. In return, Peacock gave Collins access to all of his child sexual abuse material.
Peacock and Collins shared the material with each other via an encrypted Mega account.
In videos shared with an undercover officer posing as a buyer, Peacock and Collins used SnapChat to contact minor victims and convince them to masturbate or show their genitals while the two men watched and recorded.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Collins’ Louisiana residence in November 2023 and discovered the men’s digital CSAM stash.
A federal grand jury issued a five-count indictment on December 12, 2023.
Peacock has remained in custody since his arrest.
He filed a notice of appeal of his conviction and sentence on September 30.
True Texas Hoops released a statement Tuesday describing Peacock as a part-time coach who last worked with the organization in July 2023.
“Upon learning of his arrest in 2023, True Texas Hoops immediately terminated all association with Mr. Peacock and notified any families who had contact with him during his time with the organizations. To our knowledge, no incident ever occurred involving any True Texas athlete or family.”
Amy Smith, publisher of the Watchkeep website that exposes sexual predators, posted on X that local news media had “completely dropped the ball” on this story.
“As a parent and DFW resident I’m upset and angry it has been swept under the rug,” wrote Smith.
Grapevine Faith spokeswoman Tammy Peden told Texas Scorecard that Peacock was a part-time coach for two basketball seasons beginning in 2021.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority at Grapevine Faith Christian school and we are committed to maintaining a safe, Christ-centered environment,” wrote Peden.
“As soon as we became aware of the FBI investigation of Michael Peacock in late 2023, we terminated his employment, notified parents across our school community, and engaged with law enforcement to ensure the safety of our facilities,” she wrote. “We are grateful to the investigators and prosecutors who pursued justice in this case and pray that his sentencing brings a measure of peace and healing to those impacted.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, with assistance from the FBI’s New Orleans and Dallas Field Offices.
“Through relentless investigations and cutting-edge technology, the FBI works every day to uncover hidden networks that exploit children,” said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Jose A. Perez. “Offenders like Michael Bo Peacock preyed on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, and we will stop at nothing to identify, investigate and bring these predators to justice.”
Child sexual abuse material—referred to in legal terms as “child pornography”—captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas public and private school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other minors—including possessing, producing, and distributing child sexual abuse material.