Dominic J. Pavia, Child Pornography, Missouri 2023

Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

A St. Louis man who fled to Asia after his arrest during a child pornography investigation has been sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Dominic J. Pavia, 42, pleaded guilty in November to one count of possession of child pornography.

According to court records, Pavia was living in University City at the time of his arrest. He left the country, knowing that criminal charges were a possibility, after a computer seized by detectives in 2011 was found to contain child pornography.

On March 4, 2014, detectives performed a full forensic analysis of the computer, finding 4,641 images and 1,719 videos containing child pornography. Pavia was indicted on November 19, 2014.

Pavia traveled to China, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines after leaving the U.S. He was unable to renew his visa in China in the summer of 2022 and his passport was set to expire in September 2023. He returned to the United States in January 2023.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuted 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.

Pavia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/st-louis-man-who-fled-asia-during-child-pornography-investigation-sentenced-7-years