Show-Me State Times

A Warren County man has admitted to sharing child sexual abuse material online. Donald Carl Held, 50, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography. He confessed to sharing images with an undercover investigator from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), claiming they depicted a 15-year-old girl and falsely asserting he was involved in sexual activities with her.

The investigation by HSI and the St. Charles County Police Department led to a search of Held’s home on March 4, 2024, uncovering electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Held admitted to distributing CSAM almost daily through a messaging app called Teleguard and acknowledged lying about the teenager's involvement.

Held's cellphone was found to contain 1,077 images and videos featuring CSAM, while his Teleguard and Telegram accounts showed extensive communications promoting such material. He also provided advice on evading law enforcement detection.

Sentencing for Held is set for October 27, with each charge potentially resulting in up to 20 years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute offenders who exploit children online and aims to identify and rescue victims.

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