Show-Me State Times

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a St. Charles, Missouri man to 40 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of two young girls over several years.

Ronald C. Lawrence sexually abused two girls, beginning when one was just seven years old, and recorded the abuse to share online. The victims' mother spoke in court, stating that Lawrence had destroyed their lives and violated their trust.

In addition to the abuse he recorded, Lawrence downloaded and possessed child sexual abuse material involving other children. Judge Pitlyk ordered him to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of those children whose identity is known. Furthermore, Lawrence directed a third juvenile victim he met via social media to create and send videos of child pornography and requested exploitative images of their younger siblings from this victim and another person.

Lawrence, 25, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography, and one count of receiving child pornography.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Charles Police Department, and the St. Charles County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.