Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Solicitation of Child Pornography

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Thursday sentenced a registered sex offender who tried to obtain nude photos of a 6-year-old girl to 15 years in prison.

On April 9, 2022, the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office was notified that William C. Dickhans, 39, was using a borrowed cell phone for illegal activity. Dickhans told deputies that he’d met someone in a chat room who purportedly was the mother of a 6-year-old. In conversations on April 6 and April 7, Dickhans sent pictures of his genitals to the girl and requested pictures of her. Dickhans also admitted to deputies that he was using the chat room to try and find young children.

Dickhans pleaded guilty June 23 to a charge of solicitation of child pornography.

In 2005, Dickhans was sentenced to 70 months in prison after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography and two counts of transportation of child pornography.

The FBI and Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Costantin prosecuted 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.