Seth Allen Barger, Child Pornography and Enticement of a Minor, Missouri 2024

ST. LOUIS, Missouri - In a disturbing case of online predation, registered sex offender Seth Allen Barger, 42, of Jefferson County, Missouri, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for receiving child pornography and attempting to entice an 11-year-old girl via Facebook Messenger.

According to court records, Barger sent a friend request to the young girl in 2023. On July 26, 2023, he initiated a sexual conversation with her via Facebook Messenger. The victim's mother quickly contacted the St. Louis County Police Department, which launched an investigation.

During the investigation, a detective from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office discovered 35 images containing child sexual abuse material on Barger's phone. Barger initially claimed his account had been hacked, but ultimately consented to a search of his device.

Barger pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor in November 2023 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. The St. Louis County Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, and the FBI collaborated on the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched by the U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Department of Justice's Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in May 2006.

Seth Allen Barger's 16-year prison sentence serves as a warning to online predators: the authorities are watching and will not hesitate to bring them to justice.

This case highlights the importance of Project Safe Childhood, which has been working to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse for nearly two decades.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/sex-offender-who-approached-11-year-old-online-sentenced-16-years-prison