Springfield Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for recording his sexual abuse of a child victim.

George Ralph Pollock, 77, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 30 years in federal prison without parole.

On April 3, 2018, Pollock pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. Pollock admitted that he sexually abused a child victim from the age of 12 until she was 17 years old, and had been exchanging nude images via email and text since she was 15 years old. The child victim told investigators that Pollock had sexually abused her more than 100 times.

The investigation began on Aug. 16, 2016, when officers received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Pollock had attempted to upload and email an image of child pornography. Officers executed a search warrant at Pollock’s residence and seized two cell phones and computers. Images of child pornography were found on those devices, as well as a VHS tape that depicted Pollock and the child victim engaged in sexual activity.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s 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."