Missouri federal courts process child sex crime cases and sentencing

Federal authorities in Missouri have taken significant legal actions regarding child sex crimes. In Boone County, eight men have had their cases moved to federal court following a week-long sting operation conducted in June. The accused individuals face charges including attempted child enticement and attempted sex trafficking. The group includes Daniel Walter Follet, Rollie Howard Pogue, Jose Alfredo Jimenez-Hernandez, Rifat Hasan Apurba, Ethan Schmidt Deimeke, Brice Leslie Morris, John Binu, and David Allen Burres.

In a separate case, Terry Michael Howard, 21, of Marble Hill, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Howard pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct after using Snapchat to coerce two 13-year-old girls into sending explicit images. He had threatened to harm a boy known to the victims to facilitate the coercion. Following his prison term, Howard will serve 20 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. This prosecution was part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.