Jerris M. Blanks, 39, of Festus was convicted by a jury Wednesday (Jan. 16) on federal child pornography charges in a trial before U.S. District Court Judge E. Richard Webber in St. Louis.
The jury convicted Blanks of one count of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
In 2011, according to trial testimony, a St. Louis County detective engaged in “peer-to-peer contact with Blanks as part of an undercover operation,” and Blanks was found to have more than 500 pornographic images of children on his computer and another 60 images on a CD.
In 2015, another investigation found that Blanks possessed more pornographic images of children, the report said.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for April 16.
Blanks faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for the child pornography possession convictions and a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the receipt of child pornography conviction.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Festus Police Department, the FBI, the Regional Computer Crimes Education and Enforcement Group and the St. Louis County Police Department all helped with the investigation. Assistant U.S. attorneys Rob Livergood and Kyle Bateman and investigator Donya Jackson handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.