ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Chesterfield, Missouri, appeared in federal court on Tuesday and admitted having child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his cellphone.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Charles R. Hamilton, 65, told the court he had 1,288 images and 185 videos of the illicit material saved on his phone through multiple social media accounts.
Law enforcement in Alabama in May 2023 successfully identified a Kik social media account that was being used to distribute CSAM. The account was registered to Hamilton, a convicted sex offender with an active registration requirement.
Alabama authorities interviewed Hamilton on May 25, 2023. He initially denied having an unregistered social media account, but acquiesced to a search of his phone.
Investigators found an email account matching the one used to register for the Kik account. Hamilton admitted to having the Kik account but denied he was using said account for child pornography.
Investigators found child porn matching images distributed by the Kik account. Digital forensic examiners discovered Hamilton used Kik, Instagram, and Telegram accounts to receive and transmit child porn.
Hamilton pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He’ll be sentenced on Feb. 13, 2025.
