UPDATED 5:40 p.m.

URBANA — A former Rossville youth minister and coach on Friday was sentenced to 30 years in a federal prison for posing as a female to obtain pornographic pictures of several minor-age boys via text messages and emails.

In U.S. District Court in Urbana, U.S. Magistrate Michael P. McCuskey sentenced Andrew L. Thomas to 30 years for each of the five counts of sexual exploitation of children to which he pleaded guilty. Thomas will serve the terms concurrently, along with a 15-year prison sentence he received in Vermilion County Circuit Court in May for abusing a teenage boy.

"This is one crime that we need to eliminate," said U.S. Magistrate Michael P. McCuskey, who went on to say this type of crime has a lasting impact on the victims' and their families. "These are lifetime injuries. I just hope for all of the victims, they can receive appropriate rehabilitation so their lives are not ruined ... and they don't serve a life sentence."

He told Thomas that he could have gotten a much longer sentence, which essentially would have put him away for life, But he called Thomas' agreed-upon sentence "fair" given that he took responsibility, admitted his guilt in court and in writing and spared the young victims and their families from going through a trial.

Before sentencing, Thomas, through tears, apologized to his victims. He said he doesn't understand "what led me to do what I did," but hopes that they will forgive him one day.

Before his arrest in March 2010, Thomas was a youth minister at First Church of Christ in Rossville and a track coach and mentor at the Rossville-Alvin Elementary School. He was arrested after a then-15-year-old boy told a Vermilion County sheriff's deputy that Thomas had touched him inappropriately. County investigators seized Thomas' computer and asked the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to assist in the investigation after pornographic images of minors were found on it.

Last September, a federal grand jury indicted Thomas, 47, of Rossville, on the sexual exploitation of children charges. According to the indictment, Thomas posed as a female between January 2007 and March 2010, then used social-networking sites, texting on pay-as-you-go phones and email accounts to entice minor-age boys to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to solicit pornographic images of them.

"Mr. Thomas knew these kids well. They confided in him," Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson said, adding he was their teacher, mentor, coach and confidant. "He used their faith in him, their faith in God to manipulate these kids.

"During the day he was Pastor Thomas. At night, he was Stephanie, Kayla and Jennifer," she continued, referring to the names Thomas used when identifying himself to his victims.

Peirson also said the abuse, which actually involved about a dozen underage victims, had been occurring for a long time and could have continued, if one of the victims had not come forward.

"This boy stood up and said, 'Stop,' and told what was happening," the prosecutor said, calling him a hero.

At the hearing, the boy's mother spoke to McCuskey. She said she trusted her "most-prized possession" to Thomas, but he betrayed her trust, as well as the trust of the victims, the church and her small community.

"I just don't understand why you did it," she later said, addressing Thomas.

"I hope to one day forgive him for the pain and suffering he caused," the mother said, weeping softly. She added the one positive thing that came from the situation was learning how strong her son is.

"He stopped Mr. Thomas from going any further with his behaviors," she said.

The woman's son also was the victim in the Vermilion County case, for which Thomas received the 15-year sentence. In that case, Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual assault-a position of trust, a Class 1 felony, in April.

Thomas must serve 85 percent of his sentence, meaning he could be released from prison, McCuskey pointed out. When released, Thomas must register as a sex offender and be supervised for the rest of his life. He cannot have contact with anyone under 18 without adult supervision.

Thomas must undergo sex offender treatment and psychiatric treatment as deemed necessary and random drug testing and DNA collection. In addition, his computer must have software that blocks inappropriate websites and his Internet use and other electronic devices will be monitored to make sure he's not engaging in inappropriate behavior.