A Tupelo man, Sean Carson, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for coercing more than 46 minor victims to send him sexually explicit images and videos. Court documents state that Carson, 24, used an online application to contact girls as young as 12 years old and pressured them to provide explicit content. When victims tried to stop communicating with him, Carson threatened to share the images and messages with their families unless they continued sending material and sharing personal information.
Senior Judge Michael P. Mills issued a sentence of 240 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. After his release, Carson will be required to register as a sex offender wherever he resides, works, or studies. His use of electronic devices will also be restricted during his supervised release period.
“Significant sentences like the one handed down to Sean Carson help to ensure that our children are protected from sexual predators who lure children and then attempt to keep them silent,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “AUSA Parker King and our partners at the FBI did some exceptional work in order to prove a difficult case, and this sentence should act as a deterrent to other would be predators as well.”
“This sentence underscores the FBI’s commitment to protect our children from sexual exploitation,” stated Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “The message is clear, vile predators like Sean Carson will be held to the highest extent of the law. The FBI maintains a commitment to support the USAO and the Tupelo Police Department in aggressively investigating and protecting the innocence of our minors, assuring offenders are brought to justice.”
The investigation was led by the FBI, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts between federal, state, and local authorities. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
