A Pass Christian, Mississippi woman pled guilty to production of child pornography.

According to court documents, 43-year-old Sarah Jane Bennett was identified by law enforcement as an individual in the lawful custody of a minor child who was using the child to produce visual depictions of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Further investigation revealed that Bennett’s cell phone contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material involving the minor child.

Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2024, in Gulfport, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.  A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with assistance from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crimes Division, the Gulfport Police Department, and the Biloxi Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones is prosecuting the case.

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 the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.