Retired Combat Medic Sentenced to 50 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Two Children

SAN ANTONIO - A retired Army combat medic was sentenced in federal court to 50 years in prison for two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

According to court documents, Eric Scott McCants, 47, produced sexually explicit videos involving prepubescent children and shared them in a child exploitation group on a social networking application in July 2021. FBI agents seized his phone and discovered additional sexually explicit videos, some of which depicted a second minor female and dated back to as early as October 2018.

McCants was arrested on Aug. 13, 2021 and indicted Sept. 1, 2021 for four counts related to the production, possession and distribution of child pornography. He pleaded guilty Aug. 7, 2024 to two counts of sexual exploitation of children. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for each count. He will also pay $100,000 in restitution to the two victims.

"This 50-year sentence sends a clear message that the sexual exploitation of children has lasting traumatic effects on vulnerable victims and will not be tolerated in the Western District," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. "Thank you to our federal law enforcement partners at the FBI for their diligence in this investigation and their dedication to protecting the children of our communities."

"The details of this case and McCants' exploitation of minors are horrific, and we hope this sentence will allow his victims some measure of comfort in knowing he will never be able to hurt another child," said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI's San Antonio field office. "We are dedicated to stopping predators who harm our most vulnerable citizens and want to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for their continued assistance in keeping our communities safe."

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

###