Credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office – Northern District of Mississippi
Toshemie Wilson, a former educator in the Amory School District, was sentenced Wednesday, May 29 to 192 years in prison following his conviction for multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Wilson was ordered to pay $123,353.34 in restitution to victims of the offense and a $5,000 trafficking assessment.
In December of 2023, a jury in Greenville found Wilson guilty of eight counts of sexual exploitation of children based on his conduct while he was a teacher employed by the Amory School District. Testimony at the trial revealed that Wilson used his position as a teacher and advisor for the student group Technology Students of America (TSA) to groom students to eventually produce child sexual abuse videos and pictures in exchange for money and drugs.
At the trial in this matter, seven witnesses testified that Wilson approached them while they were students and solicited them to make masturbation videos in exchange for pay between 2005 and 2014. The witnesses identified multiple places Wilson had them make the videos including the school bathroom, an office space rented specifically for this purpose, and the Amory Walmart bathroom. Several of the witnesses stated they were induced to make videos while on out-of-town school trips with TSA.
An investigation in this case initially began when one former student reported the abuse to a counselor. That counselor then reported the statement to law enforcement.
Following a sentencing hearing in Greenville, Chief U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Wilson to 192 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
“Parents and children should be able to trust teachers, and Toshemie Wilson profoundly betrayed that trust and deserves every hour of every day that he spends in prison,” opined U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I cannot say enough about the courage of the victims who came forward, and I commend AUSA Parker King for leading the prosecution and the efforts of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners. Wilson is now exactly where he belongs.”
“Protecting the innocence of society’s youth is one of the many noble missions of the FBI. Toshemie Wilson’s heinous actions of preying on children will not be tolerated. Today’s sentencing reflects the unyielding dedication of the FBI, DOJ and our local law enforcement partners in assuring offenders like Mr. Wilson, are held accountable and brought to justice,” said FBI SAC Robert Eikhoff.
“Predators who seek to exploit the children that they are trusted to care for will not go unpunished,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that those who abuse positions of power will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. I am thankful for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the state and local law enforcement agencies for their partnership on this case. My hope is that these victims and their families find justice and healing.”
The investigation of this case was a joint effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Parker S. King and Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. The goal of Project Safe Childhood is to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.
