ST. CROIX — Former At-Large Senator Steven Payne Sr. is undergoing intake and classification at the Reception and Medical Center West Unit in Lake Butler, Florida after a judge ordered him to serve 25 years in prison for sexual battery on a minor, as he appeals the conviction and sentence.
The Fifth District Court of Appeal has received a notice of appeal from Payne reflecting a filing date of February 26 that was submitted by attorney Jonathan Jordan, of Miami.
Payne is listed in Florida Department of Corrections records as being “in reception,” the stage of incarceration during which prison officials complete medical screenings, mental health assessments, and security classification reviews. The process typically lasts several weeks and determines the facility where an inmate will ultimately serve the majority of a sentence.
Payne, 59, was sentenced last month by Circuit Judge Meredith Charbula, of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, after a jury found him guilty following a three-day trial that included victim testimony. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed 10 years of sex offender probation following his release and designated him a sexual predator, a classification that carries strict requirements including GPS monitoring.
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The case stems from allegations that Payne sexually battered Steffi Emilien, who was 17 at the time of the offense, between August 2018 and February 2019 while she was staying at his sister’s residence in Florida. Prosecutors described Payne as a father figure to Emilien, who had previously moved from Saint Lucia to St. John and performed in a band Payne managed, the VI Avengerz Band. After her initial living arrangement ended, Emilien stayed with Payne’s girlfriend before relocating to Florida following the devastation of the 2017 hurricanes.
The conviction was handed down on October 22, 2025, by a six-person jury in Jacksonville after about three hours of deliberation.
