4,000 Videos and 17,000 Images of CSAM Sends Booneville man to federal prison and paying over $100,000.00 to the Victims

OXFORD, Miss. - A Booneville, Mississippi man was sentenced today to four years in prison for possessing images and videos of children under 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, he was sentenced to ten years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender where he lives, where he works, and where he is a student. United States District Judge Michael Mills also ordered $107,000 as restitution to this man's victims.

According to court documents, Joshua Honeycutt, 42, was found with over 4,000 videos and 17,000 images of child sexual abuse material. Many of the images portrayed children between 5 and 10 years old.

The FBI, Mississippi Attorney General's Office and Prentiss County Sheriff's Department were all involved in the investigation of the case.

United States Attorney Scott Leary stated, "All children are safer now that this person has been locked up. Not only will he have to serve time in a federal prison, but he will also be forced to register as a sex offender everywhere he goes. While money does not begin to make up for the victimization of these children, the restitution in this case will help the victims get the assistance they need. I am thankful for the partnership our office continues to have with our Mississippi Attorney General's Office, Prentiss County Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"Every video viewed and image produced contributes to the ongoing harm and victimization of vulnerable children," stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office, Robert Eikhoff. "Honeycutt exploited the innocence of our youth, and such conduct will not be tolerated. The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain dedicated to aggressively combating child sexual exploitation and protecting children from further abuse."

"Child sexual abuse is a horrific crime that does extraordinary physical, mental, and emotional damage to the victim. And when it is recorded or photographed, that child's trauma occurs over and over again," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "I appreciate the strong partnership our office has with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI. Together, we are dedicated to serving justice for the victims and making Mississippi a safer place for every child."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..