Springfield sex offender pleads guilty to child pornography charge

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Springfield, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving and distributing child pornography.

Ronald Lee Goins, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Goins has a prior conviction for furnishing pornographic material to a minor under the age of 14, and two prior convictions for failing to register as a sex offender.

According to today’s plea agreement, law enforcement officers found a cell phone in an abandoned vehicle in an alley at 2044 N. Avenue in Springfield on July 22, 2023. Investigators examined the phone and found files that contained child pornography on a micro-SD card that had been inserted into the phone.

Investigators determined the images of child pornography had last been modified in 2020 and 2021, at which time the phone belonged to Goins. There were also self-produced images of Goins, documents, and other files indicating that Goins was the user of the cell phone during 2020 and 2021. Two CyberTip Reports from Snapchat and Instagram, which involved child pornography uploads, were associated with the email address located on the micro-SD card.

Goins was arrested on Oct. 30, 2023, on outstanding arrest warrants in a separate case.

Under federal statutes, Goins is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.