Cassville Man Sentenced to 16 years for Child Sexual Exploitation

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Cassville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a child.

Chase Trevor Norman, 26, of Cassville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 23, 2016, Norman pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of enticing a minor for illicit sex. Norman admitted that, from Sept. 21 to Oct. 10, 2014, he enticed a 12-year-old girl into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Norman used social media, via the Internet and a cell phone, to communicate with the child victim. She transferred numerous pornographic images of herself to Norman, and he sent pornographic images of himself to the child victim.

Norman attempted to persuade the child victim to engage in sexual activity with him. However, the child’s mother saw pictures of Norman on her daughter’s iPod and contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement officers took over the child’s iPod and exchanged text messages with Norman. Believing he was still text messaging the child victim, Norman arranged to meet with the child so that they both could return to his apartment and engage in sex.

When Norman arrived for the arranged meeting, he was arrested. Norman later told investigators that he had used the same techniques a year earlier to meet another child, who was only 14 years old, with whom he engaged in sexual activity.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Purdy, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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