A registered sex offender from Nevada, Mo., has pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.
David Lee Knowles, 55, admitted to downloading and sharing videos of child pornography between May 31, 2012, and Jan. 3, 2013. The content was discovered by law enforcement during an undercover investigation into the distribution of child pornography using peer-to-peer, file-sharing networks.
Knowles, who is a registered sex offender due to a 1997 conviction for sexual assault, must forfeit several pieces of property used to commit the offense, including an iPad2, a desktop computer, an iPhone, and an external hard drive.
Under federal statutes, Knowles is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney and was investigated by the FBI and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Mandatory Facts: Defendant: David Lee Knowles, Exact Crime: Receiving and distributing child pornography, City and State: Nevada, Mo., Date: May 31, 2012 – Jan. 3, 2013, Sentence: 15 years in federal prison without parole, Fine: up to $250,000.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab ‘resources.’
Related Federal Cases
- Jason Lee Johnson, Attempted Production of Child Pornography and Receipt of Child Pornography, Nevada 2024 · Missouri
- Kurtis Lee Solomon, Possession of Child Pornography, Nevada 2022 · Washington
- Shane A. Grifford, Distribution of Child Pornography, Washington 2014 · Missouri
- John Holcomb, Production of Child Pornography, Washington 2023 · District of Columbia
- USA v. Dickerson Nicholas James Dickerson, Child Pornography Production, Missouri 2015 · Kansas
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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