Ballwin Man Who Admitted Sex with Minors Sentenced to 9+ Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man from Ballwin, Missouri who engaged in sexual contact with underage girls he’d approached on Snapchat to nine years and two months in prison for distributing images of minors.
 
Luke Edward Nicozisin, 22, will also have to register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison. The terms of that supervised release will include severe restrictions on his use of computers and access to the internet.

“The conduct in this case is abhorrent,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman during the hearing, describing Nicozisin as a “sexual predator.” Nicozisin reached out to underage girls on Snapchat, and then turned the conversations sexual with those who responded, Bateman said. 

In his plea agreement, Nicozisin admitted sending nude images of himself to three 15-year-old girls and one 12-year-old girl, soliciting nude pictures of a 15-year-old and having sexual contact with two 15-year-old girls. He also recorded videos of the sex acts with one of the teens. 

One of Nicozisin’s victims reported him to a school resource officer in July of 2021, triggering Nicozisin’s initial arrest and prompting others to come forward. Investigators would later find an iPhone with pictures and videos of Nicozisin with one of the victims as well as condoms that depicted Nicozisin’s Instagram account.

Nicozisin pleaded guilty in March to one count of distribution of child pornography.

The FBI, the Manchester Police Department and the Chesterfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman 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.