LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 38-year-old man accused in a plot to incite violence during a downtown Las Vegas protest in 2020 has been sentenced to 33 years in prison after a guilty plea to multiple child sexual exploitation crimes.
Stephen Thomas Parshall, believed to be a member of the “Boogaloo Movement,” was sentenced Monday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case stems from images found on Parshall’s phone as police investigated his activities surrounding a May 30, 2020, protest — five days after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Parshall to prison time and lifetime supervised release following his October guilty pleas to two counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of coercion and enticement and one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.
Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Parshall is required to register as a sex offender.
Parshall was arrested after the 2020 protest and search warrants were executed on his electronic devices. Authorities found 10 images of child sexual abuse material, and images of child erotica, on Parshall’s cell phone. Investigators identified a victim under the age of 18 years old in two of the child sexual abuse images located on Parshall’s phone. Parshall forced the victim to perform sex acts on him while he took pictures, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Investigators also tracked down social media posts on a second cell phone owned by Parshall, under account names “cptkiwi1,” “nopictoobad,” and “pervysage.” Parshall used the nickname “Kiwi.” In some of those social media conversations, Parshall messaged with a second victim under 18 years old, and convinced that victim to take sexually explicit pictures. That victim sent the requested child sexual abuse material to Parshall, court documents showed.
Also, in separate social media conversations, Parshall traded child pornography material with other users, according to authorities.
Parshall and two associates have been accused of plotting to blow up an NV Energy substation, a fee collection station at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department vehicle. They intended to cause panic and incite a reaction from police and crowds at a May 30 protest in downtown Las Vegas.
The “Boogaloo Movement” is a group suspected of trying to destabilize the U.S. government through acts of violence.
“As part of our Project Safe Childhood initiative, together with law enforcement partners, we will use all available resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators who exploit children,” said United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “Thanks to the hard work by the prosecution team and law enforcement, the defendant is no longer a threat to children and the community.”
“The FBI is committed to stopping and holding accountable anyone who engages in the sexual exploitation of children,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI. “Every time child pornography is viewed on the internet it re-victimizes a child. Together with our partners, we are dedicated to investigating and bringing federal charges against those who commit these heinous crimes.”
The FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Bianca Pucci and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Portz prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org.
