Ryan Michael Moberg, Child Pornography Receipt, MO 2023

Jefferson City, Mo. — Ryan Michael Moberg, 37, is headed to federal prison for five years without parole after being convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, closes a long-fought case that exposed disturbing digital evidence of child sexual abuse.

Moberg was found guilty at trial on July 12, 2016, after forensic investigators traced illicit files to his computer through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. A detective with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department identified Moberg’s IP address actively sharing illegal material online as far back as November 2012. Among the files was a video depicting a young girl engaged in sexual activity with a dog — evidence that prosecutors called ‘among the most depraved’ seen in recent years.

In April 2013, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Moberg’s residence and seized an Acer tower computer. Moberg was not present during the raid. Officers later tracked him to his workplace, where he was interviewed by investigators. He admitted to searching for and downloading child pornography, confirming what the digital forensics had already revealed.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn, who emphasized the severity of Moberg’s actions and the lasting harm inflicted on the victims depicted in the material. ‘These aren’t abstract images,’ Lynn said during sentencing. ‘Each file represents a real child, exploited and re-victimized every time it’s viewed or shared.’

Investigation was a joint effort between the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Jefferson City Police Department, with support from federal cybercrime units. The collaboration underscores the multi-agency approach increasingly used to combat online child exploitation across Missouri and the nation.

This case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation. The program combines federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute offenders — and, when possible, rescue victims. More information is available at www.usdoj.gov/psc.