Southern District of Georgia | Appling County Man Sentenced to Prison After Pleading Guilty to Attempted Child Sexual Exploitation

BRUNSWICK, GA: An Appling County man has been sentenced to more than 23 years in federal prison for attempting to coerce a minor into performing sex acts.

Todd Eric Sisk, Sisk, 50, of Baxley, Ga., was sentenced to 280 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted production of child pornography, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Sisk to pay $10,600 in restitution and fees, register as a sex offender and serve 15 years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Predators routinely use the Internet to target our most vulnerable citizens, and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to identify and eliminate these threats,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We are committed to protecting our children from those who would exploit them.”

During an undercover online operation in November 2021, detectives with the Walton County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office identified Sisk as using apps to communicate with minors. Detectives contacted Homeland Security Investigations in Savannah for assistance.

As described in the plea agreement, investigators determined that Sisk paid a Twitter user, whom he believed was 13 years old, to produce a video of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He also attempted to persuade at least four other self-identified minors to produce sexually explicit images.

“The defendant’s attempts to sexually exploit minors were fortunately unsuccessful and he will be held accountable for this predatory behavior,” said Steven N. Schrank, acting special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “Today’s sentencing is the culmination of the dedicated work of HSI and its law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Walton County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Baxley Police Department, and was prosecuted on behalf of the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. Blanchard.