A Warren County man admitted sharing to child sexual abuse material online on July 24.
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A Warren County man admitted sharing to child sexual abuse material online on July 24.
Donald Held, 50, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
He admitted sharing photos with an undercover investigator with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations that Held claimed depicted a 15-year-old girl. He also claimed he was engaged in sexual activity with the teen.
A joint HSI-St. Charles County Police Department investigation resulted in a court-approved search of Held’s home on March 4, 2024, that recovered electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material. Held told investigators that he shared CSAM almost every day with others online via a messaging app, Teleguard. He said he lied about the teen.
Held’s cellphone contained 1,077 images and videos with CSAM. His Teleguard and Telegram accounts contained “extensive” communications between Held and others during which they shared and promoted CSAM. Held also advised others on how to avoid law enforcement detection.
Robert Patrick, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Justice, said the Warren County Sheriff’s Department aided in executing the search warrant of Held’s home.
Held is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27. Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes 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.
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.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
