South Carolina – A man from South Carolina has been sentenced to decades in prison after admitting to a long history of child exploitation that included online abuse, traveling around the world, and producing child se*ual abuse material.
Federal officials said the case showed that very young children were hurt for a long time on purpose, and it depended on close coordination between U.S. and international law enforcement organizations.
According to the Department of Justice, Stephen Todd Greene, 55, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after admitting to several major crimes. Those charges included engaging in illicit se*ual conduct in a foreign country, producing child se*ual abuse material, and coercion and enticement of a minor, including aiding and abetting. The sentence reflects the severity of the conduct and the lasting impact on the victims, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors claimed that the sentence showed how bad the behavior was and how it will affect the victims for a long time.
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Investigators found that Greene started his criminal activities by getting to know a woman in Brazil online who had two young children. One child was eight years old and the other was only two. Greene asked for graphic pictures and videos of the kids using online communication channels so he could have se*ual experiences from them.
Authorities said he directed the abuse from a distance, sometimes utilizing livestream technology to watch and change what was happening in real time.
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The abuse escalated further when Greene arranged for cameras to be installed inside one of the child’s bedrooms. The setup let him keep an eye on the victim from afar, which meant he could watch and take advantage of the child all the time. Prosecutors said this was a planned attempt to keep control and keep the abuse going for a long time.
According to court filings, Greene went to Brazil in July 2024 and se*ually molested one of the young victims many times. Greene also said during the investigation that his unlawful activities went beyond these events.
He acknowledged se*ually abusing at least one child in South Carolina prior to traveling overseas, expanding the scope of the case and reinforcing concerns about an ongoing pattern of exploitation.
Federal officials searched Greene’s electronic devices after he was arrested. The forensic analysis found a large amount of child se*ual abuse material, including more than 250 photos and more than 100 videos.
Authorities added that the amount and type of evidence showed that this individual was involved in child exploitation over a long period of time, not just one bad act.
Greene was given a sentence of 480 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon. After that, he will have to be supervised by the court for 15 years. Greene will have to complete the whole prison term that the judge gave him because the federal system doesn’t allow parole.
The FBI worked with the Brazilian Federal Police to lead the investigation. Prosecutors argued that the worldwide alliance was necessary to find victims and gather evidence that led to the case’s conclusion.
