AG’s office successfully prosecuted three cases of child exploitation

The Cyber Crime and Public Integrity Divisions of the Attorney General’s Office successfully prosecuted three cases of child exploitation, Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Friday.

The cases originated after investigators with the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by the Attorney General’s Office, discovered that individuals uploaded sexual abuse images to an email account in one case and a cloud storage account in two others. Using several techniques, investigators were able to identify suspects who later admitted ownership of the devices.

In Lowndes County, James Tracey, 27, pled guilty to one count of child exploitation and was sentenced Friday morning by Lowndes County Circuit Judge James T. Kitchens, Jr. Tracey was sentenced to 40 years in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with seven years to serve and 33 years suspended, and will be subject to five years post-release supervision.

In Forrest County, Matthew Thomas Lumpkin, 33, pled guilty to one count of child exploitation and was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 27, by Forrest County Circuit Judge Robert Helfrich. Lumpkin was sentenced to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with eight years to serve and the remaining time suspended and will be subject to five years post-release supervision.

Also in Forrest County, Dylan Gentry, 25, pled guilty to one count of child exploitation and was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 27, by Judge Helfrich. Gentry was sentenced to 25 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with six years to serve and the remaining time suspended and will be subject to five years post-release supervision.

The three defendants will be required to register as sex offenders and to serve their sentences day for day without the possibility of parole. Each was also ordered to pay a $1,000 assessment to the Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund, $1,000 to the Mississippi Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund and all court costs.

“I am committed to protecting Mississippi’s children from dangerous predators, holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law” Fitch said in a statement. “I appreciate the courts’ decisions and commitment to ensuring justice was served.”