A Tupelo man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted of coercing more than 46 minor victims into sending sexually explicit images and videos. Sean Carson, 24, used an online application to contact girls as young as 12 years old, according to court documents. He threatened to share their images and sexual messages with family members if they attempted to end communication or refused to continue sending explicit material. The FBI identified 46 of an estimated 100 victims in the case.
Senior Judge Michael P. Mills imposed a sentence of 240 months in prison and ordered that Carson be placed on lifetime supervised release after completing his term. Carson will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction where he lives, works, or attends school, and his access to electronic devices will be restricted during supervised release.
“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,” stated 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,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff. “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 FBI led the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case.
This prosecution was conducted under Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts by federal, state, and local agencies. More information about this program is available at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
