Oregon Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Pornography

EUGENE, Ore.—A Springfield man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for repeatedly possessing and distributing photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

Randy Lee Cook, 43, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release by a federal judge in Eugene. Cook was convicted of three counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

According to court documents, Cook was previously convicted of state child pornography charges in Missouri in 2006 and served a significant prison sentence. Following his release, Cook was required to register as a sex offender.

However, investigators say Cook resumed distributing child sexual abuse material online in 2020 and 2021, using the Kik Messenger app. On June 11, 2021, investigators executed search warrants on Cook’s residence, truck, and person, and found his phone containing approximately 194 images and 63 videos depicting child sexual abuse.

Cook was arrested in July 2021 and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. In December 2023, an FBI task force officer in Louisiana began conversing with an individual on Kik who was later determined to be Cook. During the conversations, Cook claimed to have engaged in sex acts with children and sent the agent an explicit video of a child.

Cook pleaded guilty to the charges in January 2024 and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. This case was investigated by the FBI Eugene Resident Agency, with assistance from the FBI New Orleans Field Office and local law enforcement agencies. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

The FBI is urging anyone with information about the physical or online exploitation of children to come forward. Tips can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.