SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to receiving and distributing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography.Chandler Durham, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
On Feb. 5, 2020, a detective with the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force reviewed several CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Instagram, Twitter and Google had reported Durham uploaded child pornography to his accounts. During the investigation, the detective received approximately 50 CyberTips that reported uploads of child pornography by Durham. The detective identified 1,500 images and 233 videos of child pornography uploaded to Durham’s Google account, including videos of child bestiality and child bondage.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Durham’s residence on July 6, 2020, and seized seven electronic items. Investigators located both images and videos of child pornography on Durham’s electronic devices and accounts.
Under federal statutes, Durham is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
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