Source: Office of United States Attorneys
OXFORD, MS – An Iuka, Mississippi man was sentenced today to over 8 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse materials.
According to court documents, Sydney Briggs, 29, was uploading child pornography on a popular mobile application since October of 2023. Briggs was utilizing sophisticated computer software to avoid detection by officials. The investigation revealed over 19,000 images and videos, many of them involving infants and toddlers, were saved on his electronic devices. In addition to 97 months in prison, Briggs was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release and will have to register as a sex offender after release from prison. Judge Michael P. Mills awarded $28,000 to eight (8) victims who sought restitution for Briggs’ actions.
“There is no excuse, justification or mitigation for Briggs’s crimes, which are not victimless – he downloaded and kept thousands of absolutely horrific images of helpless children being violently sexually abused, and he should be in prison for as long as it is possible to put him there,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I cannot say enough about the continuing collaboration by the FBI, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, and AUSA Parker King that is daily taking the fight to those who want to harm our children.”
“I am grateful to our partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work with our Cyber Crime investigators to secure this sentence,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “Together, we were able to successfully stop a predator from doing more harm. But our most important partner is the concerned citizen who reports suspected abuse. If you suspect it, report it. Your tip can be the key to a successful prosecution like this one.”
“Behind the 19,000 images and videos are real children who were robbed of their innocence. Protecting children and holding vile predators, like Sydney Briggs, accountable are at the top of the FBI’s priorities for crushing violent crime,” stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff. “The FBI’s Jackson Field Office and the MS Attorney General’s Office will continue to work shoulder to shoulder in our tireless pursuit to unmask and prosecute predators who believe ultramodern technology can shield their evil deeds from justice.”
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.