Stephen E.R. Marez, Child Pornography, Missouri 2024

A St. Francois County man has been sentenced to 75 months in prison for his role in possessing and distributing child pornography, as well as participating in online discussions about the rape of children.

Stephen E.R. Marez, 32, of St. Francois County, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday for receiving child pornography and participating in online discussions about the rape of children.

Marez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted exchanging child pornography and discussing the rape of children with two people online.

The investigation that led to Marez’s arrest began when the Indiana State Police were investigating one of the men participating in online discussions, who led them to Marez. On July 14, 2023, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop and seized Marez’s cell phone, which contained child sexual abuse material.

A July 19, 2023 court-approved search of his home recovered electronic devices that contained more than 2,000 files containing child pornography, including 249 images and 137 videos depicting minors who have been identified by law enforcement, his plea agreement says.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office, the Farmington Police Department, the Park Hills Police Department, and the Indiana State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

Marez was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution as part of his sentence. 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.

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