A former deputy state juvenile officer in Missouri has been sentenced to seven years in prison after engaging in illegal sexual acts with a 15-year-old residing in an Illinois group home, Your Content has learned.
The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Fleissig ordered Scott F. Burow, aged 63, to provide restitution of $7,500 to the victim and contribute $5,000 to a fund aiding victims of child pornography and child trafficking, according to federal prosecutors.
Burow’s encounter with the juvenile began on an online dating platform where the victim misrepresented herself as an adult.
A plea agreement revealed that Burow agreed to pay $100 for sexual services and requested a nude image to verify the victim’s identity.
On April 2, 2020, Burow collected the girl from a public park near her group home, took her to his residence, and secretly recorded the sexual acts.
Afterward, he dropped her off at a motel in Palmyra, Missouri. It was there that the girl sought assistance from a passing police officer.
At the time, the victim was a ward of the state residing in a facility aimed at supporting children dealing with attachment and developmental trauma.
Burow pleaded guilty in October to a felony charge of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in prohibited sexual conduct, according to federal prosecutors.
The Palmyra Police Department, the Hannibal Police Department, and the FBI jointly conducted the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This incident falls within the scope of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
With the participation of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to identify, locate, and prosecute individuals who exploit children through the internet, while also focusing on victim rescue, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
For more details about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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