Jeffery Scott Pinkston, a 40-year-old resident of Hugo, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma made the announcement following an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Pinkston pleaded guilty on November 14, 2024. Investigators revealed that from November 2022 until June 2024, he knowingly possessed visual depictions of a minor under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These materials were accessed with the intent to view them.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program aims to locate and prosecute individuals involved in these crimes and rescue victims through collaboration between federal, state, and local resources.
The Honorable Ronald A. White presided over Pinkston's hearing at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Pinkston will remain in custody pending transportation to a designated facility where he will serve his sentence without parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States in this case.
Authorities urge anyone with information about child exploitation or related crimes to contact law enforcement immediately through various channels including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or Homeland Security Investigations.