A Missouri man on Friday admitted possessing and sharing child pornography online.
James Schoggins, 41, from St. Charles County, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to one felony count of possession of child pornography.
Schoggins admitted possessing videos and images on his laptop computer of a teenage girl, dating back to when she was 13 or 14. Schoggins told the minor what type of images and videos to send to him and engaged in sexual communications with her, his plea says.
He also possessed 421 other videos and 148 images of child pornography.
Schoggins sent child pornography via Kik Messenger and recommended a way to share child sexual abuse material. Claiming to be a 17-year-old male, Schoggins communicated via WhatsApp with someone claiming to be 16 and exchanged nude pictures with her.
After Schoggins accessed multiple images containing child pornography on his Snapchat account, Snapchat reported him to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, triggering an investigation by law enforcement.
Schoggins is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3. He could face up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is handling the case.
