A Missouri man, Russell Alan Pirkey, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey for recording himself having sexual contact with a minor. The sentencing took place in St. Louis on Tuesday.
Pirkey, 54, from Linn County, used his cell phone to document the sexual exploitation of a 10-year-old girl. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman revealed in court that the abuse persisted over several months and began when the victim was nine years old in August 2022 after Pirkey had groomed her.
The crime came to light on April 8, 2023, when an individual concerned about Pirkey's interactions with the victim alerted the Brookfield Police Department.
In September, Pirkey pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Brookfield Police Department, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman leading the prosecution.
This case 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. The program coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children online and to rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.