After being sentenced in 2024 to 192 years in prison, a former Amory teacher convicted of grooming students has had his sentence affirmed by a federal appeals court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the conviction and sentence of Toshemie Wilson, 50, a former educator in the Amory School District who groomed and abused students over a 10-year period.
Wilson was found guilty on eight counts of sexual exploitation of children by a federal jury and subsequently sentenced to 192 years behind bars last May. During trial, testimony revealed that he exploited his students for sexual pleasure. Seven victims testified that the abuse spanned from 2007 until at least 2016, with the conduct first coming to light when a former student reported it.
Wilson challenged several aspects of the trial, arguing that he only produced the child exploitation material to “conduct scientific research.” The Fifth Circuit dismissed the argument and stated that the jury “evidently believed the victims.”
“This case serves as a reminder that those who abuse positions of trust will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said after the court’s decision. “We are grateful for the court’s decision to uphold this conviction. Thank you to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their partnership and diligent work on this case. My hope is that these victims and their families can move forward and find healing.”
Wilson, who taught at Amory High School, used his capacity as an advisor to a student group called Technology Students of America to produce the sexually explicit material. He would groom students before offering them money or drugs in exchange for sexually explicit videos and pictures, according to testimony.
Of the victims and witnesses who testified against Wilson, multiple claimed he had the students make material in public places such as the school bathroom and in a Walmart bathroom. Wilson also rented an office space for the sole purpose of having underage individuals engage in sexual acts there. They said that out-of-town field trips were often used by Wilson to induce them into creating more content.
Wilson, who admitted to law enforcement that he had all the material on a flash drive before disposing of it, was also ordered to pay over $123,000 to the victims.
