Cape Girardeau Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

CAPE GIRARDEAU - A man from Cape Girardeau on Thursday and admitted recording his sexual abuse of a child.

Steven Lee Brown, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of production of child pornography. According to court documents, last May, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Brown had sexually abused a 10-year-old child. The child was interviewed and confirmed the abuse. Officers immediately responded to Brown’s residence. During an interview, Brown admitted that he engaged in various sexual acts with the child. Brown further admitted that he used his cell phone to record some of the sexual activity. Officers seized Brown’s phone and discovered several sexually explicit images of the minor child on the device. At his plea hearing, Brown admitted that he used his cell phone to produce the sexually explicit material. 

Brown’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 6, 2025. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years.

This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester is handling the prosecution for the Government.