West Columbia man sentenced to 40 years for sexual abuse of 2 children in Brazil

WEST COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — A West Columbia man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing two children in Brazil. His co-conspirator, say authorities, was the children’s aunt.

Fifty-five-year-old Stephen Todd Greene, a father and husband, pleaded guilty to all charges against him Thursday afternoon inside the Matthew J. Perry Courthouse in downtown Columbia.

Charges include engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places and producing and distributing child pornography.

“He was an offender in the worst way. He targeted children, not just children in SC but children overseas. He found them on social media, and he used those closest to the children, those who cared for them, to groom them and bring them into abuse,” says Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott Daniels.

Authorities say Greene first saw the 2-year-old and 8-year-old victims in a family video posted on Instagram by the children’s aunt, who was also their caretaker.

Prosecutors say he then reached out to the woman, overtime offering her thousands of dollars to create videos of the siblings being molested by strangers.

The aunt, authorities say, went as far as to install cameras in the children’s bedroom, giving Greene full digital access to their abuse.

“I think that the message is social media is a dangerous place for children. This man from West Columbia targeted children from Brazil and sexually exploited them. He’s across the world and was able to enter their bedroom with a device,” says Daniels.

According to U.S. Attorney Elle Klein, the children at certain points were forced to re-watch their own abuse on video.

“Because this absolutely could’ve been prevented. We’re having cases come through our doors every single day of people exploiting children online, and so we would love for parents to take a more proactive role in their children’s lives especially online,” says Klein.

Over the course of a year, prosecutors say Greene traveled to Brazil — where the aunt allowed him to abuse the children in exchange for money.

“And he traveled overseas to commit more hands-on abuse, with the ultimate goal, that he admitted to the FBI, was to bring the Brazilian children to the United States, to abuse them here. Thankfully, the FBI stopped him, and the court today imposed a sentence that is necessary to protect the public. And we thank the court for that,” says Daniels.

Greene’s family did not attend his court hearing on Thursday, and U.S. Attorneys would not address if Greene’s child had ever experienced abuse.

Greene was previously arrested in 2011 and charged with taking photographs of young girls in a local Target store, and for also molesting a 10-year-old girl in his neighborhood.

He addressed the judge on Thursday saying that he has had impulses that he knows are wrong starting as a teenager, but that he couldn’t control his urges. He also said he accepts responsibility,  and is horrified over his actions. Greene told the judge he believes there are two people inside of him, one good and one bad.

The children’s aunt has been sentenced to 95 years in prison by Brazilian authorities. She was convicted of “rape of a vulnerable person.”

Authorities say over 260 child sexual images, and 117 videos showing child sexual abuse (some 50 minutes long) were found on Greene’s phone.