LUMBERTON, Texas — A Lumberton man was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday for the production of child pornography.
Stephen John Pieper, 26, pleaded guilty to three counts of production of child pornography on December 9, 2021 before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.
On November 10, 2021, Pieper was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison by Judge Crone.
An investigation revealed Pieper engaged in sexual activity with three victims, ages 15 and 16 years old, according to court documents.
Pieper used his own phone to record the minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He admitted to uploading the videos and images he captured of the victims into Snapchat accounts.
These acts spanned from 2016 through 2018, during which time Pieper was 5 years older than his victims.
Pieper was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 7, 2021.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.