Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the sentencing of Austin Christopher Stephenson of Brookhaven, Mississippi for possession of child sexual abuse material. This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office with assistance from the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, where the case originated, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.
"Thanks to the diligent work of our cyber crime investigators, we successfully stopped a predator from doing more harm. I am grateful to our partners in law enforcement from across the country who work closely with our office to protect our children and make the Internet a safer place," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited, please report it. Your tip could be the key to serving justice for the victims and keeping others safe."
On July 28, 2025, Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge David H. Strong Jr. sentenced Stephenson to 40 years, with five years to serve day-for-day without the possibility of parole and five years supervised probation in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) for Possession of Child Exploitation Material. Stephenson was ordered to pay $1,000 to the Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund, $1,000 to the Mississippi Crime Victim Compensation Fund, and $1,000 to the Victims of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation Fund. He will also have to register as a sex offender upon release.
If you have information about a child being sexually exploited online, please report it to 1-800-843-5678. You can also make a report online at www.cybertipline.org. The hotline is manned by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and tips are reported to the Attorney General’s Office, which runs the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force for Mississippi.
