Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Stephen Michael Lippincott (70, Kissimmee) to 25 years in federal prison for production of child sexual abuse material. Lippincott was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender.
According to court records, on January 18, 2024, Lippincott was embarking on a four-day cruise to the Bahamas when his cellular phone was searched by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Jax Port Cruise Terminal. The search was precipitated by a tip CBP received about a possible warrant for indecent exposure Lippincott had out of New Jersey. The search led to the discovery that Lippincott was communicating with multiple female children ranging from ages 8 to 14 on a variety of social media platforms. Lippincott also had sent at least six female children money to watch him engage in sexual acts which he then recorded on his cell phone.
“Violating the innocence of a child is a detestable act and a betrayal of the trust that fortifies the safety of our communities,” said Tim Hemker, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville assistant Special Agent in Charge. “Alongside our partners at the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Jacksonville, HSI will not rest until every predator who seeks to sexually exploit children is brought to justice.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office, and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. This case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.