Callaway County man pleads not guilty to paying for ‘live child sexual abuse videos’
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Callaway County man pleaded not guilty Wednesday in his first court appearance on charges that he paid for what the U.S. attorney calls "live child sexual abuse videos."
David L. Maddox, 59, was indicted on Aug. 5, but the indictment was unsealed in federal court in Jefferson City during his first court appearance Wednesday, the U.S. attorney's office wrote in a news release. The videos Maddox allegedly paid for were produced in the Philippines, prosecutors say.
Federal authorities began investigating Maddox in August 2023 after getting information from the Portland, Maine, Homeland Security Investigations office that he was using Skype to talk to known traffickers of child sex videos in the Philippines, the release states.
Investigators claim Maddox paid the traffickers for live "shows" from minor victims between September 2021 and December 2023 -- during which time he received about 20 shows.
The nine counts of attempted production of child pornography that Maddox is charged with each carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 20, with a trial date of June 1, 2026.
