Richmond County man pleads guilty to producing child porn

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A Richmond County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to persuading a child to produce sexually explicit images, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Tibius Edwards, 26, to register as a sex offender and to serve 20 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

“There is an epidemic in this country of adult predators contacting and befriending children online and persuading them to produce sexually explicit images of themselves,” said Steinberg. “The vigilance of a caring adult rescued the victim from further harm, and this sentence ensures Tibius Edwards will no longer be a danger to the community.”

FBI agents interviewed Edwards in 2019 after receiving a minor’s cell phone from the child’s mother. Investigators say Edwards persuaded the minor to produce and provide sexually explicit images and share them with Edwards, according to court documents and testimony.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Jason W. Blanchard.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.