Erika Susan Perdue, a 41 year-old Texas socialite who lives in a $1.4 million home right across the street from a playground, was arrested for sending, receiving and possessing child pornography. According to the NY Daily News, Perdue has been selling such material for almost 12 years. So exhaustive is her collection of child-related pornography that she’s forgotten where the vast majority of it came from, though it would appear that they have been collected from all over the country.
The FBI began investigating Perdue back in January after authorities discovered that she was transmitting images and videos of adults engaging in sexual acts with children to other people online. The Texas housewife is thought to have sold the items in question during the day, while her husband, an attorney, was away at work. Reports indiciate that she has been peddling child pornography on the side since 1999.
Agents raided Perdue’s home on April 10th, during which they seized a computer and a hard drive containing the offending material, including images of adults having sex with toddlers.
Child advocates, meanwhile, are a little taken aback by the fact that this particular predator was, in fact, a woman.
“It’s not as common,” explained Catherine Smit-Torrez, who has spent over 20 years investigating such cases. “Women don’t have as much interest in child pornography. Generally, we don’t see a lot of that. There are some women who have fascination with different sexes and different age groups. A woman is supposed to be considered a mother who’s nurturing, not someone who is selling images that can literally destroy a child’s life.”
Right now, it’s unclear if Perdue made any money from the sale of such material. Her trial date is currently set for September 10th.
