St. Louis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Sharing Child Sexual Abuse Material

A 40-year-old St. Louis County, Missouri man, James C. Astorian, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with an undercover police officer. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark, also includes a $10,000 restitution order to the identified victims. The investigation began after Astorian shared multiple images and videos containing CSAM via a peer-to-peer network. Astorian had been trafficking in CSAM for approximately two years, according to a government sentencing memorandum, which also notes that some of the images were "notably violent."

Key Takeaways:

• James C. Astorian was sentenced to eight years in prison for sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with an undercover police officer.
• The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark, who also ordered Astorian to pay $10,000 in restitution to the identified victims.
• The investigation found 6,110 images and 728 videos containing CSAM on Astorian's possession.
• Astorian pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March.
• The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, and the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuting the case.
• The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.

Statistics:

• 6,110 images and 728 videos containing CSAM were found on James C. Astorian's possession.
• 40-year-old James C. Astorian was sentenced to eight years in prison.
• $10,000 in restitution was ordered to be paid by Astorian to the identified victims.
• The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006.
• Since its launch, Project Safe Childhood has contributed to the rescue of thousands of victims and the prosecution of countless individuals who exploit children via the Internet.

Sources:

• United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District Of Missouri.
• Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood.
• Justice.gov, Project Safe Childhood.