A former Pinellas County teacher has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges involving child exploitation, federal prosecutors announced.
Lee Hughes, 46, of Pinellas Park, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber for attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful activity, and receipt and possession of child sex abuse material.
Hughes pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida…