Stockton Man Sentenced for Child Pornography

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A Stockton, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography.

Brian Lee Cox, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 230 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Cox to serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.

Cox will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

Cox pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2025, to receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet. According to court documents, Cox traded child sexual abuse material with other individuals using Kik messenger, an application which focuses on the privacy of its users. A National Center for Missing and Exploitive Children (NCMEC) Cyber Tip alerted the authorities to Cox's conduct.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Cybercrimes Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.

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."