Ex-Amory educator loses sexual exploitation appeal
By Mina Corpuz | Originally published by Mississippi Today
Federal appellate judges let a conviction and nearly 200-year sentence stand for a former north Mississippi educator who sexually abused students and groomed them to create videos and pictures in exchange for money and drugs.
In 2023, Toshemie Wilson, 50, a former teacher and student group adviser at Amory High School, was found guilty on eight counts of sexual exploitation of children. Each count carried a 24-year sentence for a total of 192 years in prison, and he was ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution to the victims.
Seven former male students testified about the sexual abuse. The indictment mentions nine victims and states the abuse spanned from as early as 2005 until at least 2016.
Wilson, who was the adviser for the Technology Students of America, approached the victims to make videos, including directing them to make some videos at school and during out-of-town school trips with the group, according to court records.
“The jury evidently believed the victims, however,” a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in an April 1 order. “We cannot usurp the jury’s role in assessing witness credibility.”
On appeal, Wilson raised three main points, including that he didn’t produce the videos and images of the children for any reason other than to “conduct scientific research,” according to court records.
“Nothing in the evidence — besides Wilson’s self-serving testimony — suggests the videos were created for any other purpose,” the court wrote when it dismissed that argument.
Wilson remains incarcerated at Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution in Oregon.
An investigation began when one former student reported the abuse to a counselor in late 2020, who reported it to law enforcement, according to court records. The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and other state and local officers.
Scott F. Leary, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, praised the victim’s courage to come forward and report the crime.
“A 192-year sentence is justice,” Leary said in an April 2 statement. “Hopefully, the victims of this crime can move on with their lives knowing justice was served.”
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Robert Eikoff, special agent in charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office, said the court ruled correctly. Both said there is federal and state commitment to holding abusers accountable.
“This case serves as a reminder that those who abuse positions of trust will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” Fitch said in the statement.
The case was part of a nationwide initiative called Project Safe Childhood, which has a goal of combatting the growing issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Wilson was also indicted on state charges of human trafficking, procuring sexual servitude of a minor, gratification of lust and exploitation of a child in Monroe County.
After Wilson’s conviction in the federal case, the state asked to drop prosecution because several of the victims said they did not want to testify again in court. The charges were dismissed in February.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
