Craig Rhoden, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole on October 17, 2023. Craig was a Walmart employee that took under pictures of children while they were wearing skirts in Springfield, Missouri.
Craig had thousands of videos and photos of child sexual abuse. Craig traded the child pornography material over the internet.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Craig’s residence on Jan. 5, 2023 after receiving cyber tip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying that Craig had uploaded hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material.
Craig admitted that he participated in the exchange of child sexual abuse material, including trading images and videos of infant victims, and that he uploaded images of child sexual abuse to a website.
Craig also admitted that he took photos under the skirts of children at the Walmart where he was employed and uploaded those photos to a website he operated.
A forensic analysis of Craig’s electronic devices found more than 16,000 videos and photos of child sexual abuse.
The suspect pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The court also ordered Craig to pay $150,000 in restitution to 30 victims and serve 15 years on supervised release following his incarceration. He must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
