A Booneville, Mississippi man, Joshua Honeycutt, 42, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for possessing over 4,000 videos and 17,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). United States District Judge Michael Mills also ordered Honeycutt to serve ten years of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $107,000 in restitution to his victims. Many of the images depicted children between five and ten years old.
The investigation involved the FBI, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, and the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department. U.S. Attorney Scott Leary said, “All children are safer now that this person has been locked up,” and noted the restitution would help victims. Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office, said that Honeycutt "exploited the innocence of our youth, and such conduct will not be tolerated."
Attorney General Lynn Fitch described child sexual abuse as a "horrific crime" that causes "extraordinary physical, mental, and emotional damage." She praised the strong partnership among law enforcement dedicated to serving justice and making Mississippi safer for every child. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative combating child sexual exploitation.