Show-Me State Times

A Missouri man, Dominic J. Pavia, 42, has been sentenced to seven years in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross after fleeing to Asia during a child pornography investigation. Pavia pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in November. He admitted that an investigation in December 2010 by the Saint Louis County Police Department's Special Investigations Unit uncovered child sexual abuse material on a computer he was using.

According to court documents, Pavia, a law school student at the time, was arrested during a court-approved search on April 26, 2011, where detectives seized computer equipment and found child pornography. Despite knowing that criminal charges were looming, Pavia left the country while residing in University City. After a full forensic analysis of the computer in March 2014, authorities discovered 4,641 images and 1,719 videos of child pornography, leading to Pavia's indictment on November 19, 2014.

Pavia's travels took him to China, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines before returning to the United States in January 2023. His attempts to renew his visa in China in 2022 were unsuccessful, and his passport was set to expire in September 2023. The investigation was carried out by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuting the case.

This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, as well as to rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found on the Department of Justice's website.