Paul Lewis Sanders, Child Pornography, Missouri 2024

A Warren County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for receiving child pornography, according to a recent U.S. District Court ruling. Paul Lewis Sanders, 41, of Warren County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in September to one count of receiving child pornography. The crime was discovered on Sanders’ cellular phone after an investigation triggered by a complaint to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department in February 2023.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations handled the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake 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 federal government. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.

Sanders was previously convicted of the felony offense of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Macoupin County, Illinois in 2004. Despite this previous conviction, Sanders continued to engage in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

The sentence, which includes a 15-year prison term followed by a life term of supervised release, is a stark reminder of the severity of the crime and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable. The case serves as a warning to those who would engage in this heinous behavior that they will be caught and held accountable.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative aimed at combating the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about the initiative, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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