Jefferson County Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Two Minors

ST. LOUIS – A Jefferson County, Missouri man on Friday admitted sexually abusing two girls and recording that abuse.

Benjamin F. Sexton Jr., 48, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.

In 2023, the grandfather of one victim discovered explicit communications between that victim and Sexton. The victim told investigators that Sexton sexually abused her between the ages of 7 and 14 and recorded some of that abuse, Sexton admitted as part of his guilty plea. He also solicited sexual images via Snapchat and gave her methamphetamine.

A second victim told law enforcement that Sexton sexually abused her multiple times when she was 15, and investigators found images of the teen in Sexton’s Google account.

Sexton is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will recommend 27 years in prison for his crimes.

The St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney 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.