Former boy scout leader admits to child porn charges

A Columbia man has admitted he pretended to be a woman in order to get Boy Scouts he knew into sending him child pornography.

Ian Francis Burow, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to seven counts of producing, receiving and distributing child pornography. He had six victims between December 2010 and August 2011. Burow was the director for the Sons of Daniel Boone program at a boy scout summer camp.

Prosecutors say Burow admitted that he used the alias “Sarah McGee” to communicate online and via cell phone with several Boy Scouts, ranging in age from 14 to 17. He tricked them into sending him pornographic photos, videos and live broadcasts of themselves.

Burow, who was a Boy Scout, sent the victims photos of a woman in various poses to encourage them to send similar photos.

He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole.