Credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office – Northern District of Mississippi
A former Amory High School teacher was convicted by a federal jury today for sexually exploiting at least seven students over a ten-year period.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Toshemie Wilson, 48 years old, of Wren, Mississippi, was found guilty of eight counts of using students to produce sexually explicit material while he was a teacher at Amory High School. Wilson used his position as an advisor for the student group Technology Students of America to groom students to eventually produce child sexual abuse videos and pictures in exchange for money and drugs.
The investigation began when one former student reported the abuse to a counselor. That counselor reported the statement to law enforcement. From there, investigators with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation uncovered at least 10 other former students who alleged similar conduct and payment for sexually explicit videos.
Eight unnamed witnesses testified that Toshemie Wilson approached them to make masturbation videos in exchange for pay between 2005 and 2014. The witnesses identified a number of places Wilson had them make the videos – the school bathroom, an office space rented specifically for this purpose, and the Amory WalMart bathroom. Several of the witnesses stated they were induced to make videos while on out-of-town school trips with the Technology Students of America, a group that Wilson served as advisor.
After he was indicted, agents met with Toshemie Wilson and his attorney where Wilson admitted to having a collection of student sexual abuse materials on a hard drive that he threw away.
Wilson is also under state indictment in the Circuit Court of Monroe County, where charges remain pending.
“Once again, hard work and perseverance by federal, state and local investigators and prosecutors has removed from society an individual with a demonstrable sexual interest in children,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I am extremely proud of Assistant United States Attorneys Parker King and Clyde McGee for their trial work on the case, and thankful for the investigative work of the FBI and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office…we must all continue to prosecute these offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Preying upon vulnerable students and exploiting their trust and innocence is abhorrent,” said Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I am grateful justice is being served, and I hope my team’s hard work in investigating and prosecuting this case alongside the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office demonstrates to these victims that the community values and cares for them and longs to help them on their healing journey.”
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Parker S. King and Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
