Missouri Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Producing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a man to 210 months in prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for child pornography offenses involving three teens.

Dylan James, 26, recorded a sexual act with a 13-year-old in 2024 and then distributed that recording. He also provided alcohol and "possibly some vapes" in exchange for sexually explicit images from a 15-year-old, James' plea agreement says. James paid a 16-year-old for sexually explicit videos in 2023.

James pleaded guilty in August to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.

"Dylan James preyed on vulnerable children, using gifts to manipulate and sexually exploit them -- a tactic all too common among predators," said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. "In these cases, there is no ambiguity: the children are the victims, and we will hold accountable those who are responsible."

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.