A former Cherokee County sheriff’s deputy is headed to federal prison for a long stretch after admitting he paid to exploit children. Stephen Michael Bunte, 42, of Calhoun, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to enticement of a minor and receiving child sexual abuse material. His punishment also includes 15 years of supervised release and a requirement that he register as a sex offender. Prosecutors say the case linked Bunte to an international trafficking network that sold livestreams and access to children.
U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II handed down the sentence after Bunte pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2025, to one count of enticement and one count of receiving child sexual abuse material, according to The Georgia Sun. Prosecutors told the court that beginning in May 2023 Bunte contacted a trafficker in the Philippines who was selling live webcam streams of children under 12. Over roughly 10 months, the two exchanged more than 14,000 messages and about 15 phone calls while Bunte received at least 35 abusive images involving three children ages 6, 10 and 14. Federal agents, the outlet reported, had been investigating trafficking networks since August 2023 and by March 2024 had identified communications tying Bunte to the operation.
Bunte was still employed by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office when the conduct began and had worked in the county adult detention center, local reporting shows. Federal agents arrested him at his Gordon County home in June 2024 and Cherokee officials formally relieved him of duty at the time, as WSB‑TV reported. A separate report also covered the arrest and the sheriff’s office statement that the investigation was ongoing.
Federal charges and penalties
The counts Bunte pleaded to are federal felonies with stiff penalties: enticement of a minor under 18 is codified at 18 U.S.C. § 2422, which authorizes a term of not less than 10 years and up to life, and offenses under the child‑pornography statute 18 U.S.C. § 2252A generally carry prison ranges starting at five years and rising depending on the images involved and any prior convictions. Judges in these cases typically add long supervised‑release terms, sex‑offender registration, and other conditions that can restrict where a person may live and work after release.
Prosecutors told the court the sentence reflects the cross‑border nature of the trafficking network investigators targeted and the volume of material involved, according to The Georgia Sun. Bunte will be transferred to federal custody and the Bureau of Prisons will designate a facility; the registration and supervised‑release requirements mean court oversight will continue long after his prison term ends.
