A 39-year old man from Festus, MO was convicted this week of child pornography charges.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says that 39-year old Jerris M. Blanks, of Festus, was convicted in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis for one count of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.

According to testimony at trial, in 2011 a St. Louis County Detective engaged in a peer-to-peer contact with Blanks as part of an undercover operation. Blanks was found to have over 500 pornographic images of minor children on his computer and another 60 such images on a CD. Later in 2015, another investigation reportedly found that Blanks’ possessed more pornographic images of minor children.

A sentencing hearing has been set for April 16, 2019.

Possessing child pornography carries up to a 20 years sentence and a fine of $250,000 Receiving child pornography carries a minimum of 5 - 20 years and a fine of $250,000.

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