A Leake County man was found guilty of attempting to coerce a minor into engaging in sexual activity, announced U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Office.
Edison Jefferson, 41, of the Red Water Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation, used the internet and a cellular phone to contact a person in Texas that he believed to be a 15-year-old minor. Testimony during the trial established that the person he was actually communicating with was an undercover police officer posing as a 15-year-old minor.
Testimony further established that Jefferson sent sexually explicit messages, requested nude images, and attempted to coerce the person he believed to be a minor to travel to Mississippi from Texas for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
In January of 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Jefferson on the charges of Attempted Coercion and Enticement, Attempted Coercion and Enticement to Travel to Engage in Sexual Activity, and Attempted Production of Child Pornography.
Honorable Henry T. Wingate, United States District Judge, presided over the trial and scheduled Jefferson’s sentencing for November 9, 2026. Jefferson faces a minimum penalty of not less than 15 years, and a maximum penalty up to life. He is currently being held in federal custody.
United States Attorney Kruger commended the work of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Department in Abeline, Texas, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Trails Task Force, who investigated the case.
The Safe Trails Task Force is comprised of officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Choctaw Police Department, Leake County Sheriff’s Department, Carthage Police Department, and various state and local law enforcement agencies.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kalleigh McCoy.
Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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