Missouri Man Admits Recording Sex with Minor

ST. LOUIS - A man from Linn County, Missouri on Monday admitted recording himself having sexual contact with a minor.

Russell Alan Pirkey, 54, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.

Pirkey admitted using his cell phone to record himself having sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl. Pirkey's crime was discovered on April 8, 2023, when the Brookfield Police Department was contacted with concerns about his contact with the victim.

Pirkey has also agreed to forfeit a cell phone, a tablet and various electronic storage devices that were seized by law enforcement during the investigation.

Pirkey is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 14, 2025. The sexual exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum charge of 15 years in prison, and a maximum of 30 years.

The FBI, the Brookfield Police Department and the Linn County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman 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.