Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Arrested on Federal Child Sex Charges

ST. LOUIS – A former youth hockey coach was arrested Thursday on federal charges that include accusations that he produced child pornography involving two juveniles and possessed child pornography of multiple other currently unidentified juveniles.

James R. Lambert , 41, of Lake St. Louis, was indicted June 28 on two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of transporting minors across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

The indictment accuses Lambert of inducing two minors into engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then filming it. It also says Lambert took a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity and that he received child pornography online. 

Lambert is also facing charges in St. Charles County Circuit Court of statutory sodomy and child molestation and charges of statutory sodomy and sexual exploitation of a child in St. Louis County Circuit Court. He was in jail on those charges at the time of his arrest on the federal case.

Anyone with information regarding possible additional victims is asked to contact the Lake St. Louis Police Department by calling 636-625-8018 or emailing policetips@lakesaintlouis.com.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.