Former legislative aide sentenced for child porn charge

A former Missouri legislative aide was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Friday for a child pornography charge.

Carter Ballmann pleaded guilty to attempted receipt of child pornography in federal court in February.

Ballmann was arrested in April 2018 after an investigation by the Boone County Cyber Crimes Task Force. During the investigation, Ballmann communicated online and via text messaging with a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to the plea agreement filed in his case. The document says Ballmann tried to arrange a meeting with the decoy and asked the fictional girl to send him nude photos.

Ballmann at the time was a legislative aide to a suburban St. Louis House member and was arrested at the Capitol. The legislator Ballmann worked for, Rep. Mark Matthieson, immediately fired Ballmann.

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