Former Tulsa teacher sentenced to 13 years for receiving child pornography

TULSA, Okla. — A former Tulsa teacher was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography and 20 years of supervised release.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. of the Northern District of Oklahoma. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

James Russell Wilson, 32, of Tulsa, was indicted by a grand jury in April, and pleaded guilty June 14. Wilson was a teacher with Tulsa’s Union Public Schools.

According to court documents, from October to about December 2014, Wilson found the public profile of a 12 year-old girl on Instagram and began sending messages to her username on Kik, an online-messaging program. In the course of “chatting” with the child over several months, Wilson requested increasingly more revealing and ultimately sexual photos of her and enticed the child to expose herself and perform sexual acts on herself. Wilson sent the girl pictures of him exposing himself and engaged in masturbation. Wilson convinced the 12 year-old girl to send, and Wilson received, photos of her engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including the lascivious exhibition of her genitalia through her underwear or other clothing, and both simulated and actual masturbation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Hofland and Allen J. Litchfield, Northern District of Oklahoma, prosecuted this case.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

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.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.