Elexis Kiera Sidney, 29, has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted on four counts of child pornography, including sexual exploitation of a child, Your Content has learned.
A Houston resident, Elexis Kiera Sidney, 29, has been handed a 40-year sentence in federal prison following her conviction on four separate child pornography charges, including sexual exploitation of a child, distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.
Sidney pleaded guilty to all charges. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered her to serve 480 months in federal prison, with the sentences for distribution, receipt, and possession running concurrently for a total of 120 months. This will run consecutively to the 360 months imposed for the sexual exploitation of a child conviction, totaling 480 months.
During the hearing, the court heard from the mother of a three-year-old relative whom Sidney had recorded herself sexually abusing. The mother expressed her feelings of betrayal, as Sidney was supposed to be babysitting her daughter at the time.
A psychological evaluation presented in court concluded that Sidney was at an average to high risk to reoffend and had a strong interest in children since she was 10 years old.
In addition to her prison sentence, Sidney was ordered to pay $18,000 in restitution to the victims and will serve a lifetime of supervised release following her prison term. During this time, she will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict her access to children and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Sidney’s case came to light in December 2018 when authorities observed her posting sexually explicit material involving children in a private Kik chat group. A subsequent search of her residence and electronic devices revealed that she had been distributing and receiving child pornography in the Kik chat group since November 2018. Authorities also found additional images and videos of Sidney sexually abusing the same minor victim and a three-year-old relative, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. As Sidney awaits transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, this case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing efforts to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.