A former Pinellas County teacher has pleaded guilty to child exploitation charges and has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, federal prosecutors announced.
Lee Hughes, 46, of Pinellas Park, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber on charges of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful activity, and receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Hughes pleaded guilty on January 30, 2026.
Federal prosecutors said Hughes had been in online contact for months with an undercover agent who they believed had a 9-year-old daughter. According to court documents, Ms. Hughes expressed a desire to abuse children, sending explicit photos and videos of herself and asking the purported children to view them.
According to prosecutors, Hughes was arrested by FBI agents on May 1, 2025, when she arrived at a designated location to meet her child.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abigail K. King and Courtney Derry.
Federal officials said the lawsuit was filed as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat child exploitation and abuse. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminals who exploit children, especially through the Internet.
