A former high school custodian has admitted to possessing child pornography in St. Louis, Missouri.
Bernard Ray Mennemeier, 58, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography.
Mennemeier admitted possessing both child pornography and child erotica, according to a plea agreement.
The investigation began on January 2, 2024, after Mennemeier uploaded five videos containing child sexual abuse material to Dropbox.
An FBI agent traced the Dropbox account to Mennemeier, and then conducted a court-approved search of the Dropbox account, and then Mennemeier’s home.
In an interview at the O’Fallon Police Department, Mennemeier admitted messaging someone on Twitter who would sell him child sexual abuse material.
Mennemeier said he purchased those materials ‘numerous’ times, his plea agreement says.
Mennemeier is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9.
The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
This crime came to light thanks to a CyberTip reported to our partners at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Bernard Mennemeier thought he could anonymously obtain and possess child sexual abuse material, said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division.
When it comes to protecting children, the FBI is even more diligent in identifying, locating and arresting such perpetrators.
The FBI investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Bernard Ray Mennemeier
Criminal Charge: Possession of Child Pornography
City and State: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: January 2, 2024 (investigation began)
Sentence or Outcome: Scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2024 (up to 20 years in prison)
Dollar Amounts: None
Related Federal Cases
- Douglas Beer, Child Pornography Possession, Missouri 2024 · Louisiana
- James Allen Ridder, Child Pornography Possession, Illinois 2023 · Missouri
- Michael Greinke, Child Pornography Distribution, Missouri 2014 · Kansas
- Timothy K Jokubeit, Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography, Missouri 2016 · Texas
- Jesse Lee Talley, Distributing and Receiving Child Pornography, MO,… · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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