Potosi, Missouri, Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography
Former Babysitter Sentenced to Federal Prison for 60 Years

ST. LOUIS, MO—Gregory Lynn Parsons pleaded guilty to videotaping and producing child pornography with children under the age of twelve, Acting United States Attorney Michael W. Reap announced today.  He was sentenced to sixty years in federal prison.

According to statements made in court at the time of the plea, in April 2008, investigators from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and state investigators obtained a search warrant for Parsons’ residence in Potosi, Missouri.  A subsequent search revealed a vast amount of electronic equipment, children’s clothing and many photographs of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Further examination of the computer hard drives revealed video files of the sexual abuse of several children by Parsons.  Parsons admitted with his plea that between November 2007 and April 2008, he videotaped his molestation of children between one and seven years old.

"Mr. Parsons babysat children, many times overnight.  These parents trusted him with their young children, and he not only violated that trust, he committed horrendous acts that will forever affect these children and their families," said Reap.  "Fortunately, with a 60-year sentence, he will never be a threat to another child." 

"This is a particularly heinous crime and Mr. Parsons’ plea will spare the kids the trauma of going through a trial. I am very pleased that he will never be in our community again," added Washington County Prosecuting Attorney John Rupp.

"These kinds of cases truly represent the most abhorrent type of criminal activity that we see in law enforcement. This was a collaborative effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies and we will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who engage in the exploitation of our children," said John Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, FBI-St. Louis.

GREGORY LYNN PARSONS, Potosi, Missouri, pled guilty and was sentenced to sixty years in prison on two felony counts of production of child pornography before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry, in St. Louis.

This case is 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Reap commended the work performed on the case by the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri Children’s Division, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany Becker, who is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.