KC Reporter

A Lawson, Missouri man, Lance M. Berry, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs delivered the sentence on December 19th, with Berry also receiving a 10-year supervised release term post-incarceration and being ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution to his victims.

Berry, aged 37, pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024, to one count of distributing child pornography online. He is a registered sex offender due to a previous conviction in Ray County, Missouri for deviate sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

The case revealed that on June 1, 2022, Berry used a peer-to-peer file-sharing program to distribute child pornography. An undercover officer from the Missouri State Highway Patrol accessed Berry's cell phone and downloaded 14 videos of such content. The investigation uncovered that Berry’s device contained 944 unique images and additional videos depicting child pornography, some involving sadistic or masochistic violence against minors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino prosecuted the case following investigations by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.

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 by leveraging resources across various government levels.

For further details about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.