A DeSoto, Missouri man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal child pornography charges involving three minors.
Dylan James, 25, admitted in court to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. According to prosecutors, James recorded a sexual act with a 13-year-old in 2024 and distributed the recording.
Investigators found evidence on James’ phone relating to two other victims. The plea agreement states that a second victim, age 15, reported that James provided her with alcohol and possibly vaping products in exchange for sexually explicit images. A third victim was 16 when James watched a livestream of her engaging in sex acts with her boyfriend; he later paid her for additional videos.
James is set for sentencing on December 2. The production charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. The distribution charge carries a potential penalty between five and twenty years.
The case was investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, St. Louis County Police Department, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
According to the Department of Justice, this prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse by bringing together federal, state, and local resources for investigation and prosecution efforts (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
“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,” according to information provided by the Department of Justice.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood: www.justice.gov/psc.
