ST. CROIX — Former At-Large Senator Steven Payne Sr. has begun serving his 25-year sentence for sexual battery on a minor at Mayo Correctional Institution, a low-security state prison in the Florida Department of Corrections located in Mayo, Florida, according to prison records.
The prison houses male inmates in separate areas depending on the crimes they committed, their current risk assessment, and their behavior.
A Florida jury on Oct. 22, 2025, convicted 59-year-old Payne of sexual battery involving a minor. He was found guilty of sexually battering Steffi Emilien with a vibrator between August 1, 2018, and February 27, 2019, at his sister’s house in Florida when she was 17 years old.
READ MORE: Florida jury convicts former Senator Steven Payne Sr. in sexual battery case involving a minor
Circuit Judge Meredith Charbula, of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida sentenced Payne on February 19 to 25 years in prison, followed by 10 years of sex offender probation with GPS monitoring and a designation as a sexual predator.
READ MORE: Prosecution sought 25-year sentence at victim’s request; judge agreed in ex-Sen. Steven Payne’s case
During Payne’s three-day trial, the jury heard testimony from Emilien as well as another woman, Chezni Jones, who testified about an incident between her and Payne that allegedly occurred in 2005. Jones said Payne, her mentor when he served in the Virgin Islands Police Department, allegedly tried to force her to inappropriately touch him and ripped her underwear while showing her defense tactics on a beach prior to her enrollment in the police academy.
Dene Dessuit, Payne’s former staffer who filed a sexual harassment complaint against him that led to his expulsion from the Legislature during his second term in 2022, attended Payne’s trial to support Emilien. Dessuit has also filed a civil lawsuit in Virgin Islands Superior Court accusing Payne of assault and false imprisonment.
READ MORE: Former-Sen. Payne staffer files civil lawsuit; includes Legislature, Sen. Frett-Gregory in suit
After Charbula sentenced Payne, he underwent intake and classification at the Reception and Medical Center West Unit in Lake Butler, Florida. He also appealed his conviction and sentence.
Now that Payne has been incarcerated at Mayo Correctional Institution, his current release date is listed in the system as October 15, 2050.
