Former Mississippi nurse enters plea in child pornography case on the Coast

A former registered nurse in Mississippi pleaded guilty in May to a federal charge of possessing sexually-explicit images of children under the age of 12, according to records filed in the case.

Samuel L. Wilkinson, 70, faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines at his sentencing, which is currently set in September in federal court in Gulfport.

A federal grand jury indicted Wilkinson on one count each of possession and distribution of images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually-explicit conduct.

According to federal authorities, the child pornography was distributed over the internet in Hancock County in December 2023.

As part of his plea agreement, Wilkinson admitted possessing child pornography in February 2024. According to the Mississippi Board of Nursing, Wilkinson’s nursing license expired Dec. 31, 2024.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith prosecuted the case.

Margaret Baker

Sun Herald

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Margaret is an investigative reporter whose search for truth exposed corrupt sheriffs, a police chief and various jailers and led to the first prosecution of a federal hate crime for the murder of a transgendered person. She worked on the Sun Herald’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Hurricane Katrina team. When she pursues a big story, she is relentless.