U.S. Department
of Justice
Brunswick County Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Federal Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Material Crimes
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Shallotte man was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“These child predators hurt our children, causing lifelong damage to our communities. This case highlights the critical partnership between federal, state, and local agencies in protecting children,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “We will continue to work together to bring child sex offenders to justice and prevent further harm.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Department of Homeland Security and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office investigated Scott Anthony Lewis, 65. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a Cyber Tip from Dropbox, reporting that one of its users had uploaded child sexual abuse material to their platform. Law enforcement traced the IP address from that DropBox account to Lewis.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Lewis’ residence, and seized digital devices being seized that contained child sexual abuse materials. Lewis had previously served in the U.S. Navy but had left the service in 2018. Since then, he had been working as a self-employed licensed electrician. Lewis, a previously registered sex offender, was on supervised probation for incest at the time of his arrest. At the time he downloaded some of the images located on his device he was out on bond for the incest charge to which he later entered a guilty plea.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case, and the Department of Homeland Security and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case no. 7:24-CR-100-M-BM.
