Arkansas man sentenced to 30 years for child exploitation

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A Fayetteville man was sentenced April 25 in the Eastern District of Arkansas to serve 30 years in federal prison for production of child sexual abuse material.

A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fayetteville investigation revealed that Steven Luckett, 38, sexually assaulted five minor children — some for years. U.S. District Court Judge Lee P. Rudofsky sentenced Luckett.

In October 2020, the Fayetteville Police Department began investigating allegations that Luckett was sexually assaulting five minor children living in Little Rock. A number of the minor victims were interviewed and disclosed that Luckett sexually assaulted them over the course of several years and, on some occasions, had taken videos of them performing sex acts or had taken nude photos of them. One of the minor victims told investigators that the abuse began when she was 6 years old and continued until she was 13.

Based on the allegations, investigators interviewed Luckett and seized his cell phone. Luckett admitted filming a video of him having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl and admitted to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. Later, authorities obtained a search warrant for the phone, which revealed numerous pictures and videos of child sexual abuse material. Luckett produced some of the child sexual abuse material and downloaded some from the internet.

Luckett was indicted in November 2020 and pleaded guilty in December 2022. In addition to the 30-year prison term, Luckett was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release following his imprisonment. The Fayetteville Police Department, the Little Rock Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bryant prosecuted the case.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 866-DHS-2423 or by completing its online tip form . Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce , an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.