SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Nixa, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet.

Jeffrey Scott Seaton, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Seaton to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration.

On May 21, 2018, Seaton pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography. Seaton admitted that he downloaded child pornography from the internet and traded child pornography via a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.

Law enforcement officers identified Seaton’s computer during an undercover investigation and downloaded images and videos of child pornography from Seaton’s computer. Officers executed a search warrant at Seaton’s residence on Jan. 9, 2018, and seized a laptop computer, which contained images of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

 This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."