High School teacher facing possible 1,000 years in prison on child sex abuse convictions
(Toshemie Wilson, Amory High School YouTube Video)
On December 18, a former Amory High School teacher was convicted by a federal jury for sexually exploiting at least seven students over a 10-year period. Amory High School is located at 1006 Sam Haskell Circle in Amory, Mississippi.
Toshemie Wilson, 48, of Wren, Mississippi, was found guilty of eight counts of using students to produce sexually explicit material while he was a teacher at Amory High School. Wilson used his position as an advisor for the student group Technology Students of America to groom students to eventually produce child sexual abuse videos and pictures in exchange for money and drugs.
At sentencing, Wilson could face up to 300 years in prison on these federal convictions, according to WJTV.
Wilson is accused of photographing or making videos of nine minors between 2006 and 2016 while teaching at Amory High School. Investigators said Wilson targeted students in the high school’s technology club, giving them cash or drugs to perform sex acts alone or with a blow-up doll.
The investigation began when one former student reported the abuse to a counselor. That counselor reported the statement to law enforcement. From there, investigators with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and agents from the FBI uncovered at least 10 other former students who alleged similar conduct and payment for sexually explicit videos.
Eight unnamed witnesses testified that Wilson approached them to make masturbation videos in exchange for pay between 2005 and 2014. The witnesses identified several places where Wilson had them make the videos – 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 the Technology Students of America, a group that Wilson served as advisor.
After he was indicted, agents met with Wilson and his attorney where Wilson admitted to having a collection of student sexual abuse materials on a hard drive that he threw away.
“Preying upon vulnerable students and exploiting their trust and innocence is abhorrent,”said Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I am grateful justice is being served, and I hope my team’s hard work in investigating and prosecuting this case alongside the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office demonstrates to these victims that the community values and cares for them and longs to help them on their healing journey.”
Wilson is also under state indictment in the Circuit Court of Monroe County, where, “he still faces a 22-count indictment for the same crimes,” according to The Daily Journal. In addition to his federal sentencing, Wilson could be facing an extra sentence of 700 years or more in prison if convicted on all the state charges.
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(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Mississippi)
(Cover photo of Toshemie Wilson booking photo, Image credit: FBI)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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