Jackson man sentenced to over 17 years in federal prison for production and possession of child pornography
JACKSON, Miss. - A Jackson man, Michael Gene Rushing, 58, was sentenced by a Senior U.S. District Judge to more than 17 years (210 months) in jail, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for producing child pornography and possession of child pornography, announced DEA Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Derryle Smith, U. S. Attorney Mike Hurst, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Freeze, and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.
In August 2017, the DEA, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office (AG), and the FBI had been investigating Wholesale Auto Parts, located at 950 S. Gallatin Street in Jackson, for trading prescription narcotics for heroin with nurses. Periodic surveillance and other investigations revealed that Rushing had also been trading illicit drugs for sex with juveniles.
On August 30, 2017, federal agents and state officers executed a state search warrant at the Wholesale Auto Parts where agents seized electronic devices and illicit drugs. The forensic examination conducted on the devices revealed the presence of videos and images of child pornography. Rushing had been video recording himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor as young as 13 years at the business on numerous occasions.
A restitution hearing for this case will be held before a Judge in Jackson in August 2018.
The case was investigated by the DEA, the FBI Jackson Division's Child Exploitation Task Force, which is made up of agents from the FBI and the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, and officers from the Prentiss County Sheriff's Office. MBN and Rankin County Sheriff's Office also assisted with the investigation.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
