Former Coast Guard Servicemember Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Receiving Child Pornography

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="RALEIGH" datavalue="RALEIGH"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GREENVILLE" datavalue="GREENVILLE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="NEW BERN" datavalue="NEW BERN"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="WILMINGTON" datavalue="WILMINGTON"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="ELIZABETH CITY" datavalue="ELIZABETH CITY">RALEIGH, N.C. - A former Coast Guard member was sentenced to 133 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for receiving child pornography after an investigation found that he had solicited child pornography from multiple women. Stephen Lamond Lollis, 36, pled guilty to the charge on August 19, 2024.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Lollis was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Coast Guard after a former romantic partner reported him to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In her tip, the woman reported that Lollis had shown her the child pornography he possessed and had made graphic comments about his desire to sexually abuse her and her son.

As a result of this tip, HSI agents executed a search warrant on Lollis' residence, which resulted in four devices being seized that contained contraband. On those devices, law enforcement found images and videos of child pornography. Additionally, law enforcement found conversations on his devices in which Lollis encouraged women to sexually abuse their own children and then to send him videos and images of the abuse. Lollis had engaged in this coercive behavior to solicit child pornography from multiple women, including the woman who ultimately reported him to law enforcement.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded. <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle" datavalue="U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan" datavalue="U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III" datavalue="U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II" datavalue="Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt" datavalue="Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard" datavalue="Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard">U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan presided over the sentencing. The Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:24-CR-21-FL-RN.