A man from St. Louis County, Missouri has admitted to soliciting nude images from children online and receiving images from a 12-year-old victim. Alsaphone Hunt, aged 44, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography.
In February 2021, Hunt began communicating with an 8-year-old girl in Maryland through Facebook Messenger. The girl's mother intervened after the initial exchange. Hunt sent explicit messages and images containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), prompting the mother to contact local authorities. The police identified Hunt and referred the case to the St. Louis County Police Department.
On March 1, 2021, a detective from the St. Louis County Police Department posed as a 10-year-old girl on Facebook and engaged with Hunt via Messenger. Hunt sent CSAM and explicit photos during these interactions. He was arrested on March 5, 2021, at his workplace in a fast-food restaurant, where he confessed to sending CSAM and allowed a search of his phone.
The investigation revealed that Hunt's phone contained numerous files with CSAM and child erotica. It was also discovered that he had coerced or enticed a 12-year-old into producing and sending him CSAM.
Hunt is due for sentencing on August 21, with both parties recommending a sentence of 15 years in prison.
The investigation involved several agencies including the St. Louis County Police Department, Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Police, FBI, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is handling the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration among federal, state, and local resources.
