Source: US FBI
OXFORD, MS – A Booneville, Mississippi man was sentenced to 60 months in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Austin Thompson, 21 years old, was using an internet application to distribute sexually explicit images and videos of minors as young as 8 years old. Agents identified Austin Thompson as the likely owner and user of the identified accounts based on prior contact with law enforcement for trafficking in child pornography.
“People who have a sexual interest in children do not belong in society, they belong in prison,” said United States Attorney Clay Joyner. “Thanks to exemplary teamwork by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the FBI, and AUSA Parker King, another criminal who views kids as sex objects is behind bars.”
“Each time child pornography is exchanged over the internet, children are re-victimized,” stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff. “The FBI’s work with its partners to stop Austin Thompson’s calculated, deliberate efforts to distribute sexual abuse material and this sentencing demonstrate our resolute commitment to preventing future harm. The FBI has a great resolve to pursue justice for the predators who seek to exploit the youth of our communities and stands firm with the USAO, Mississippi AGO, and Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department in protecting our most vulnerable population – our children.”
“While this conviction does not turn back the clock, it prevents this predator from inflicting more harm,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I appreciate the strong partnership our office has with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. Together, we are dedicated to serving justice for the victims and making Mississippi a safer place for everyone.”
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of the Project Safe Childhood 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.