A former high school teacher in Lubbock, Texas, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography involving a minor student.
Kandi F. Phillips, 30, was sentenced on November 10, 2017, by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings after her guilty plea in May 2017 to one count of receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, between December 2016 through February 2017, Phillips was employed as a high school teacher at a public high school in Lubbock County, Texas. During her employment, she began interacting online with a student at the school, and the communications turned sexual in nature.
Phillips received, by way of the Internet, photographs depicting this minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The case was investigated by the Frenship Independent School District Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lubbock Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney John Parker stated, ‘I have no idea what makes a person – a teacher no less – think it’s okay to engage in sexually explicit communication with a minor. It simply boggles the mind.’
Mandatory Facts:
- Defendant: Kandi F. Phillips
- Criminal Charges: Receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct
- City and State: Lubbock, Texas
- Exact Date: November 10, 2017
- Sentence: 97 months in federal prison
- Dollar Amounts: Not applicable
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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