Philippines Minor Victim Tragedy: D’Iberville Man Sentenced to Decade in Prison for Obscene Material Transfer

GRAFTON, Miss.—Jeffery Steward, a/k/a Jack Spangle, 54, from D’Iberville, Mississippi, has been dealt a 10-year prison sentence for transferring obscene material to a minor in the Philippines. The grim verdict was handed down by U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

According to court documents, Steward utilized the internet and a social media account belonging to a Philippine minor to send links to pornography to the underage victim, knowing full well that the recipient was under 16 years of age.

The investigation into this disturbing case was spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with support from the Cyber Crime Division at the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Philippine National Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Jones and Lee Smith are leading the prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI confirmed the sentence. This case is a significant part of Project Safe Childhood, a justice department initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse since 2006. For more information on this crucial initiative, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Project Safe Childhood mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online and identify and rescue victims.