Former Cherokee County deputy sheriff sentenced for sexual exploitation of minors

ROME, Ga. - Former Cherokee County Deputy Sheriff Stephen Michael Bunte has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor and receipt of child sexual abuse material.

"Law enforcement officers take an oath to serve and protect, and Bunte ignored that oath by sexually exploiting children and preying on vulnerable victims overseas," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Predatory conduct will not be tolerated, and those who commit these crimes will be prosecuted and excised from the community."

"Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the most vulnerable among us, and the public trusts them to uphold that responsibility," said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. "Stephen Bunte failed to honor his oath and betrayed that trust by exploiting children instead of protecting them. His actions are reprehensible, and HSI is committed to ensuring that anyone who violates their oath and preys on the innocent is held fully accountable-regardless of their position or title."

"Working alongside Homeland Security Investigations to keep children in our community and communities around the world safe is always a priority," said Calhoun Police Department Assistant Chief, Lt. Col. Ken Carson. "It gives detectives with the Calhoun Police Department great satisfaction to assist with this case and have a successful outcome for the child victims involved."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In August 2023, HSI agents conducting an expansive investigation into international child sex trafficking networks in the Philippines identified a child trafficker who offered access to sexually explicit webcam livestreams involving multiple children under the age of 12. The investigation revealed that the target offered customers hands-on access to the children, including the trafficker's own children.

In March 2024, agents discovered communication between the trafficker and Stephen Michael Bunte. At the time, Bunte lived in Calhoun, Georgia, and was employed as a deputy sheriff for the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Between May 2023 and March 2024, Bunte and the target exchanged over 14,000 messages and 15 phone calls. During these conversations, Bunte received at least 35 images of child sexual abuse material involving three minor victims aged 6, 10, and 14.

On April 16, 2026, Stephen Michael Bunte, 42, of Calhoun, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II, to 15 years in federal prison followed by 15 years on supervised release. Bunte was also ordered to register as a sex offender. On November 4, 2025, Bunte pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child sexual abuse material.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Calhoun Police Department.

Assistant U.S Attorneys Calvin A. Leipold, III and Leanne Marek prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.Links 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.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.