Social media influencer sentenced for child porn
Georgia native Joshua David Stapleton, 39, received a 20-year sentence, with five years served in jail and another 15 years on probation after pleading guilty to 20 counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to court documents obtained by Fox 5 Atlanta.
Stapleton and his wife run the 'Gulf Coast Stapletons' social media account, which has racked up more than 86,000 followers and over a million likes on TikTok and Instagram.
Investigators learned that between 2018 and 2020, Stapleton downloaded images of prepubescent children in sexually abusive situations.
3 Joshua David Stapleton, 39, received a 20-year sentence, with 5 years to be served in custody and the remaining 15 on probation.
Bartow County Sheriff's Office
3 Josh and Brittani Stapleton ran 'The Gulf Coast Stapletons' TikTok account together.
Instagram/brittanimorris_stapleton
He was initially charged with 15 counts of child porn possession, but was later indicted on 40 counts of sexual exploitation of children. He entered a non-negotiable plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to just 20 counts.
The 'Gulf Coast Stapletons' lifestyle content features the couple working out, eating food and going on vacations.
Just last week they posted several videos from their trip to Orange Beach, Alabama.
Stapleton's wife, Brittani Morris Stapleton, has been attempting to correct what she's called 'misinformation' online about her husband after news of his case spread.
The pair were married in 2023 after he'd been charged.
'Josh was absolutely up front with me about everything in the charges, there were no secrets,' she said in a recent TikTok post.
3 'The Gulf Coast Stapletons' have more than 86,000 followers on TikTok.
Instagram/brittanimorris_stapleton
She also pushed back on accusations that the pair 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.
Stapleton is currently being held in the Bartow County Sheriff's Office Jail.
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