Bastrop man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of minor, sentenced to 25 years

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BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — A Bastrop man was sentenced in connection with the sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to the Justice Department (DOJ), 41-year-old Stuart Mitchell Pieper was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison in connection with the charge.

The DOJ said in July and August 2023, Pieper used a private chat group to “post multiple images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Pieper also discussed, in the group chat and in direct messages, how he was ‘grooming’ female children for sexual activity.”

On Pieper’s cell phone, investigators found images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, according to the DOJ. State authorities then arrested him in Bastrop County on Aug. 12, 2023.

The Justice Department said he was indicted for one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and pleaded guilty to the charge April 18.