ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man has confessed to a sickening role in the dark corners of the internet: moderating a chat room dedicated to the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). David Korte Daues, 37, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to one count of possession of child pornography, a charge that could land him in prison for decades.
The case unraveled thanks to a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline. Investigators traced disturbing CSAM content circulating on the messaging app Kik back to an account operated by Daues. FBI special agents confronted him at his workplace, and he quickly admitted ownership of the account that triggered the initial report. But the rabbit hole went much deeper.
Daues wasn’t just a passive consumer of this horrific material. He admitted to being a moderator for a group on the Wire platform – a digital haven where CSAM was routinely shared. He confessed to actively participating in the distribution of these images and videos, claiming he’d been involved in this depraved activity for approximately four years. The scale of his involvement is staggering: Daues stated he was a member of around 25 Kik groups and five Wire groups dedicated to sharing CSAM.
A search of Daues’s personal devices revealed a chilling collection of CSAM stored on two of his cell phones. This wasn’t simply about viewing; he actively possessed and likely disseminated this abuse. The FBI’s investigation paints a picture of a man deeply entrenched in a network of predators, using technology to exploit vulnerable children.
Daues now faces a sentencing hearing on December 1st. He’s looking at a potential penalty of up to 20 years behind bars, a fine of up to $250,000, or a combination of both. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case, and the FBI handled the investigation. This case is a grim reminder of the pervasiveness of online child exploitation.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those who prey on children online – and to rescue the victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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