Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
A Missouri man has been sentenced to 75 months in prison for possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig handed down the sentence on Wednesday to Stephen E.R. Marez, aged 32, from St. Francois County.
Marez was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution after pleading guilty in August at the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted to exchanging child pornography and engaging in online discussions about the rape of children with two individuals.
The investigation began when the Indiana State Police were probing one of Marez's online associates, leading them to him. On July 14, 2023, a traffic stop by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper resulted in the seizure of Marez’s cell phone containing child sexual abuse material. A subsequent court-approved search on July 19, 2023, uncovered electronic devices at his home with over 2,000 files of child pornography, including images and videos depicting identified minors.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office, Farmington Police Department, Park Hills Police Department, and Indiana State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.
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