St. Louis Sex Offender Caught Again with Child Pornography Sentenced to 140 Months in Prison

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis sex offender who was caught again with child sexual abuse material to 140 months in prison.

Sandor Spies, 39, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted that while on supervised release for a prior child pornography possession offense, probation officers found multiple unauthorized electronic devices during a home visit. A later forensic exam of the devices revealed pictures and videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the devices, as well as evidence that Spies was using the devices to view CSAM, communicate with individuals involved in the distribution of CSAM and to buy and sell drugs. The devices also contained chat messages in which Spies and others shared fantasies of violently raping minors, Spies' plea agreement says.

The U.S. Probation Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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 www.justice.gov/psc.