ST. LOUIS – A grim reminder of the dangers of online predators struck as James Donald Goings, 36, from Overland, Missouri, was sentenced to a chilling 168 months in federal prison for his monstrous crimes against innocence.
In a courtroom where justice met horror, U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp handed down the sentence on Tuesday, demanding that Goings pay $12,000 in restitution to victims identified in the child sexual abuse material he possessed. The court’s voice echoed with the severity of the sentence as it was announced that Goings would also spend a lifetime under supervised release.
Goings’ guilty plea in March for one felony count of receipt of child pornography laid bare his despicable actions. He admitted to harboring 2,500 images of child sexual abuse on his computer and an additional 190 images within his Google account. His online presence was a farce of innocence as he engaged with a 15-year-old victim through the dating app Grindr, leading him into perilous encounters.
But the horror did not stop there. Goings also maintained contact with another teenager via the same platform. During their virtual exchanges, Goings coerced the teen to perform explicit acts over video calls, according to court documents.
The case was a product of relentless investigation by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Edwardsville (Illinois) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Chapman and Erin Granger prosecuted this harrowing case with unwavering determination.
Project Safe Childhood, the nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, saw Goings’ conviction as part of its ongoing efforts. For those who seek more information on how the Department of Justice is combating the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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