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Press Release

Savannah Man Sentenced To 25 Years For Transporting A Minor With Intent To Engage In Sexual Conduct And Child Pornography Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Georgia

STATESBORO, GA – Steve Lavon Biggins, 33, of Savannah, Georgia, was sentenced Wednesday by United States District Court Senior Judge B. Avant Edenfield to 25 years in prison, followed by supervised release for the remainder of his life, for Transporting a Minor with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct, Production of Child Pornography, and Transportation of Child Pornography. Biggins had been found guilty by a federal jury after a 2-day trial in Statesboro, in December 2013.

United States Attorney Edward Tarver said, “Crimes targeting children is reaching epidemic proportions. The protection of our children is, and should be, a priority to which the Department of Justice takes swift and aggressive enforcement action. This defendant met an underage girl online, lied to her to gain her trust, and engaged in illegal sex acts in violation of numerous federal laws. Lengthy sentences like the one handed down in this case help protect our children from predatory acts, and serve to deter others from engaging in similar conduct.”

Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Biggins, a 33-year-old truck driver posing as a man in his twenties named “Rodney,” engaged in text and telephone communications with a girl under the age of 16 with whom he initiated contact through the mobile application “Tagged.com.” After developing an in-person relationship with the victim, and without the knowledge of the girl’s parents, in July 2013, Biggins took the child on short-haul trips that spanned seven days, and included travel to South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina, before returning to Georgia. While on the trip he engaged in sexual conduct that violated the laws of each state he entered, and photographed the same. Upon his return trip through Millen, Georgia, Biggins was stopped and immediately arrested by law enforcement officers. He has remained in custody since that time.

The arrest in this case was accomplished through the combined efforts of Millen Police Department, Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U. S. Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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.

FBI Special Agent Marcus Kirkland investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Greenwood, Deputy Criminal Chief in the Augusta U. S. Attorney’s Branch Office and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

Updated April 13, 2015