Former Associate Professor in Louisiana Sentenced to More Than 12 Years For Child Pornography

Lake Charles, Louisiana – A former associate professor in Louisiana has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for child pornography.

United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown said on May 4, 2023, that a former associate professor in Louisiana guilty of receiving child pornography appeared in federal court for sentencing. Steven M. Stinnett was sentenced by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr.

Steven M. Stinnett, 51, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, a former associate professor at McNeese State University, was sentenced to 151 months in prison (12 years, 7 months supervised release), followed by lifetime supervised release. On November 17, 2022, Calcasieu Parish law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant at Stinnett’s home. During the search, officers seized computers and electronic equipment. A forensic investigation of Stinnett’s computer by agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations revealed multiple photographs and videos including child sexual abuse material. Stinnett stated that one of the child pornography photographs, which portrayed a prepubescent female in a sexually explicit pose, was obtained via the internet in April 2017. Stinnett acknowledged to possessing 228 still photographs and 57 videos containing child sexual abuse material. On February 3, 2023, Stinnett pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.

The Department of Homeland Security Investigations and McNeese State University Police investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a countrywide campaign led by the United States Department of Justice to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood, led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, combines federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. To learn more about Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.