A Missouri man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography. Paul Lewis Sanders, 41, from Warren County, was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release following his sentence. The ruling was handed down by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey.
Sanders admitted guilt in September to one count of receiving child pornography. The case began after the Warren County Sheriff’s Department received a complaint in February 2023 and subsequently found child sexual abuse material on Sanders’ cellphone.
In 2004, Sanders had previously been convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Macoupin County, Illinois.
The investigation involved the Warren County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. According to the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children online and works to identify and rescue victims. More information about the initiative is available at www.justice.gov/psc.
