Gulf Coast Stapletons influencer wife defends husband as he's sentenced to five years in prison for child porn
Joshua Stapleton, 39, and his wife Brittani, 31, are the faces behind the 'Gulf Coast Stapletons' - a social media account that captured snapshots of their seemingly perfect, picture-postcard lifestyle along the Gulf Coast.
But their dreamy world came to a screeching halt when investigators discovered that, over the course of two years, Joshua had downloaded images of prepubescent children portrayed in sexually-charged situations, as reported by Fox 5 News.
More than four years after authorities launched their investigation, the Georgia native was sentenced last month to five years behind bars, followed by 15 years on probation.
On Friday, however, Brittani took to TikTok with a lengthy video defending her husband - going as far as threatening legal action against anyone spreading what she called 'false' statements.
'Josh was absolutely upfront with me about everything in the charges - there were no secrets,' she said in the video.
Brittani also posted a photo on Instagram of herself lying on her husband's lap aboard a boat, captioning it: 'If this is the statement you're looking for, here it is.'
Her husband's arrest followed an investigation launched by the Cartersville Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division, with support from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Homeland Security.
It was during this time that Joshua was discovered to have downloaded images of children in sexually abusive situations between 2018 and 2020.
'Just a mild-mannered guy, nothing that would even give you the slightest inclination that there was some type of criminal activity going on,' Bryan Canty, who lived across the street from Joshua in Georgia, told Fox 5.
Recalling the night in 2020 when multiple agencies swarmed Joshua's home, he remembered thinking, 'What in the world is going on?'
'l learned about the child exploitation charges later and that just threw me for a loop,' he added. 'I had absolutely no idea.'
Originally charged with 15 counts of child porn possession, Joshua was later indicted on a staggering 40 counts of sexual exploitation of children.
He ultimately accepted a non-negotiable plea deal, pleading guilty to 20 counts while the remaining 20 charges were dropped.
Joshua and Brittani - who have amassed more than one million likes across TikTok and Instagram - often share duo workouts, meals, and vacations with their more than 81,000 followers.
Just last week, the pair shared several videos from their trip to Orange Beach, Alabama.
But Brittani's next public words came in an eight-minute video posted to the popular platform - one many have since labeled 'extremely concerning.'
In the video, she sought to correct what she called 'misinformation' circulating online after news of her husband's incarceration broke.
'What you're not allowed to do is post anything that is a false statement, that is damaging to someone's reputation,' Brittani sternly said.
'And I've seen a lot of it, so I'm going to set the record straight, but if I continue to see it, naturally I'm going to have to take legal action because it's absolutely illegal,' she added.
Brittani went on to address her most frequently asked question: whether she knew about the crimes before marrying Joshua in 2023 - to which she replied, 'Absolutely, I knew.'
She explained that they were friends before dating, and when the charges surfaced, she reached out to him because it didn't sound like him - especially since they had already taken multiple vacations and spent a lot of time together.
'I have a really good judge of character and I knew something was up,' she said. 'I knew that was not Josh.'
She also pushed back against accusations that they were projecting 'fake lives' on their social media accounts.
'There's nothing fake about it. It was our lives, we are still happy, he and I have no issues,' Brittani posted.
Joshua is currently being held in the Bartow County Sheriff's Office Jail. Authorities have yet to release additional information.
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an hour ago
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AN INFLUENCER has defended her husband online after he was sentenced to prison for child abuse images. Joshua Stapleton, 39, and his wife Brittani, 31, document their Gulf Coast travels across social media, posting what on the surface seems like a perfect life - but it's far from the truth. 6 6 6 6 The pair have amassed over one million likes across TikTok and Instagram with more than 81,000 followers, sharing workout videos, meals and vacations. But their popularity has certainly diminished since investigators made the heinous discovery that husband Stapleton had downloaded child abuse images, Fox 5 News reports. Over four years since authorities initially launched their investigation, Stapleton received a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to 20 counts of sexual exploitation of children. Five years are to be served in custody and the remaining 15 on probation. But wife Brittani has made it clear she stands with her husband and posted a lengthy TikTok video addressing frequently asked questions on the harrowing situation. She started the video by threatening legal action against anything spreading what she called "false" statements being spread about her husband that are "damaging" to his reputation. Brittani said she knew about the charges against her husband, who wed in 2023, as they were friends before they started dating. She said: "When the charges occurred, we were friends. [...] I have a really good judge of character and I knew something was up. I knew that was not Josh. "We had already been on several trips together beforehand. I'd spent pretty close time with this guy and I was like, hmm, something's wrong here. "Josh was absolutely upfront with me about everything in the charges. There were no secrets." Stapleton's arrest followed an investigation launched by the Cartersville Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division, supported by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Homeland Security. The investigation was launched based on a tip submitted through the Internet Crimes Against Children program. It was during this probe the 39-year-old was exposed for downloading numerous child abuse images between 2018 and 2020. Addressing another question from concerned social media users, Brittany defended that the couple's friends with children are aware of the charges against Stapleton. She said: " We've always been absolutely upfront with everyone. And guess what? "A lot of these people have our backs because they have personally witnessed Josh around their children and know that there's no issue." Stapleton was originally charged with 15 counts of child pornography possession, but was later indicted on a harrowing 40 counts of sexual exploitation of children. He ultimately accepted a non-negotiable plea deal and pleaded guilty to 20 counts, while the remaining 20 charges were dropped. Brittani shockingly rejected the claim that child images were on his "work laptop," slamming them as "false". She ranted: " Josh could not possibly have that on his work laptop because if you have ever worked for a corporation or any big company or anything along those lines, you know how secure those computers are." Brittani also pushed back against accusations that they were merely showing "fake lives" across their social media platforms, and said they are "still happy" as a couple despite the vile charges. She rambles: " We are still happy. He and I have no issues. He has been fully transparent and honest with me. "Therefore, I know everything. I have been to court. I know everything. I can assure you that nothing about us was fake." Stapleton will have to abide by multiple "sex offender" conditions upon his release. Bartow County authorities haven't released additional information about the plea proceedings. Stapleton is currently being held in the Bartow County Sheriff's Office Jail. 6 6
