U. S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming | U.S. Department of Justice
A Missouri man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for producing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk delivered the sentence on Wednesday in St. Louis.
Steven Popple, a 39-year-old resident of Park Hills, Missouri, began a relationship with an underage girl in May 2021, as outlined in his plea agreement. He exchanged sexually explicit text messages with her and requested nude photos and videos, providing instructions on poses and acts. The victim sent approximately 300 photos and videos to Popple, and they met to engage in sexual acts.
Popple entered a guilty plea in June at the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography.
"If it hadn’t been for the victim’s mother, this crime wouldn’t have come to light," stated Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division after the mother discovered concerning images on her daughter's phone and contacted the FBI. "Contacting law enforcement immediately reduces the risk of a perpetrator disposing of critical evidence."
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuting.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse through federal, state, and local collaboration.
