A St. Louis man has pleaded guilty to moderating an online chat group that distributed child sexual abuse material. David Korte Daues, 37, entered his plea Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography.
The case began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children filed a Cyber Tipline report about illegal content on the messaging app Kik. Investigators traced the account back to Daues, who later told FBI special agents that he operated the account flagged in the tip. He also acknowledged moderating a group on the Wire platform where such material was regularly shared.
Daues admitted to being active in approximately 25 Kik groups and five Wire groups involved with this type of material over a period of about four years, as well as distributing it within these groups. Authorities found images and videos containing child sexual abuse material on two cell phones belonging to him.
Sentencing is set for December 1. The offense carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a possible fine of $250,000.
The FBI led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
"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 by the Department of Justice," according to information provided by federal authorities. "Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims." Additional details are available at www.justice.gov/psc.
