ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Charles County man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to 17 years in prison for using hidden cameras to take photos and videos of underage girls and trading the images with others.
Dennis J. Naumann, 56, will also be on supervised release for the rest of his life after serving his prison sentence.
Naumann pleaded guilty in June to one count each of attempted production of child pornography and receiving child pornography.
According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri, Naumann hid video cameras in a bathroom and other places, and he admitted to uploading at least 50 videos of child sexual abuse to Dropbox. As part of his plea, he also admitted to possessing photos and videos of underage girls he took by hiding a camera in a bathroom.
Prosecutors said he shared the videos with two other people so that he could get more child sexual abuse material.
One victim wrote in a letter to the judge that Naumann "stole my girlhood and traded it on the internet."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said at Wednesday's sentencing hearing that Naumann began deleting files when he learned he was being investigated, but authorities still recovered dozens of videos, pictures, and online conversations in which he asked for or offered to share child sex abuse material. Anderson described Naumann as having a "rapacious appetite for child sexual abuse material."
The St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force, St. Charles County Police Department and FBI investigated the case.
To report a crime to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, visit their CyberTipline online.
