A man from Galena, Missouri, has been sentenced in federal court for crimes related to child pornography. Steven Vincent Sanchez, 56, received a sentence of 200 months in federal prison without parole from U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. After his release, Sanchez will be subject to 15 years of supervised release.
Sanchez pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025, to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. He has previous felony convictions for statutory sodomy in the second degree and for loitering within 500 feet of a public park, which required him to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTipline Report when Dropbox discovered a video file containing suspected child pornography. Authorities traced the file to Sanchez and executed a search warrant at his home in Galena on August 7, 2023. Investigators seized several electronic devices and found 234 images and one video depicting child pornography.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Stone County Sheriff’s Office.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources across different levels of government agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
