ST. LOUIS – A St. Charles County man appeared in federal court on Tuesday to be sentenced after being caught with child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Philip D. Shurtliff, 34, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of receipt of child pornography.

In March 2021, a tip filed to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was reported to the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force. They said Shurtliff was using the Kik Messenger app to send CSAM.

Detectives connected Shurtliff to the Kik account and searched his home the following month, finding five videos on his cell phone. He said he obtained the videos and sent them to gain access to a group on the app. Shurtliff was arrested at the time.

In 2023, the task force received another report from NCMEC concerning child sexual abuse material, leading them to Shurtliff’s home once again.

Shurtliff told detectives he is a monster and had collected and traded child pornography for approximately 19 years. Detectives found 97 photos and 27 videos involving child pornography on his phone.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Shurtliff to 97 months in federal prison, which is just over eight years. He had faced up to 20 years in prison. Shurtliff will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.