Chinese Foreign National Attending Southeast Missouri State University Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The United States Attorney's Office announced that Haoyu Wang, age 29, has been sentenced to serve seven years in federal prison for the offense of Possession of Child Pornography. Wang appeared for his sentencing hearing Monday before United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

According to court documents, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Wang’s residence in January 2021 after developing probable cause that he was uploading videos containing child pornography. Wang, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was attending Southeast Missouri State University on a student visa at the time. Numerous items were seized from Wang’s residence, including his cell phone and computer. Investigators subsequently discovered a large volume of child pornography on the devices. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Wang admitted that he downloaded the material over the internet. After serving his sentence, Wang will be deported back to China.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.