A Missouri man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography. Cody Moore, 25, admitted in September before the U.S. District Court in St. Louis that he used a Kik social media account to download, possess, and distribute child sexual abuse material.
The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip indicating that a Kik account had uploaded 41 files containing illegal content in December 2022. Investigators traced the upload to Moore’s residence in Audrain County. The Boone County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force took over the investigation.
At the same time, local law enforcement was investigating Moore for failing to register as a sex offender—a requirement following his previous convictions for similar offenses. Authorities noted that Moore had absconded from probation in April 2023 and an arrest warrant was issued.
Moore was arrested on July 12, 2023, in Jefferson County, Missouri. Following his arrest, investigators searched his phone and online accounts with court approval and found dozens of files depicting girls being sexually abused.
The FBI worked alongside the Boone County ICAC Task Force and the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted the case.
U.S. District Judge John A. Ross handed down the sentence on Thursday.
"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 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." More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
