Ex-councilman gets 12 years in prison for violating child exploitation probation

A former Mississippi Coast councilman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for violating his probation for felony child exploitation charges after he was indicted on felony charges of bribery and conspiracy.

Alan Moran and others are accused of offering one of Moran's stalking victims $20,000 to drop charges against him. The victim reported the offer to the Waveland police. Law enforcement then began a new investigation into Moran and his father, former state Sen. Philip Moran.

Circuit Judge Christopher Schmidt revoked Moran's probation after the new charges were filed. Moran's attorney asked the judge to delay the revocation until Moran and the three others were arraigned. However, Schmidt argued that a grand jury had already seen the evidence against the Morans and an accomplice named Ian Schexnayder.

Schmidt sentenced Moran to serve 12 years of a 15-year suspended sentence for child exploitation.

“I feel great,” the victim's mother, Raychel Dykes told The Biloxi Sun Herald. “This is a big deal for our community. I mean, it’s essentially a sex offender not roaming our streets, messing with our children.”

Moran was initially arrested on Valentine's Day 2022 after authorities said he lured a then-17-year-old boy to him for sex and bought the underage teen a beer. Moran resigned his seat on the Diamondhead City Council in March 2022.

Last year, Moran was arrested again for misdemeanor stalking. He was found guilty of stalking a 19-year-old Lowe's employee in April of that year.

Both Philip and Alan Moran have denied the bribery charges against them.