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image credit: Columbia Daily Tribune

image credit: Columbia Daily Tribune

A former Boy Scouts leader in Jefferson City, Missouri was sentenced  by a federal judge to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography.

According to an article by Alan Burdziak of the Columbia Daily Tribune, U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes sentenced 25 year-old Ian Burow to a prison term he deemed “fair and reasonable” for eight counts of child porn.

Burdziak hinted that the former Eagle Scout Burow used modern technology to entice the kids, including “masquerading as a woman named Sarah McGee, [Burow] used email and social media to trick teenage boys into sending him lewd photos of themselves.”

KCRG News reporter Kate Lauman noted in her article that investigators from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force received a complaint about possible sexual abuse of scouts, which eventually lead to Burow.  “Detectives found a Facebook account identified as “Sarah McGee”, from Columbia that  was soliciting minors to take nude photographs of themselves and send those photographs to her through the Internet. Scout officials thought the account was fake and that the actual person making the contact was a male summer camp Boy Scout leader.
According to other media reports, investigators served a search warrant at Burow’s residence,and discovered Boy Scouts applications which included the personal information of the Scouting applicants.

Burow’s sentence bars any chance of parole, and he will need to register as a sex offender for life.

If you have been abused by a Boy Scout leader and wish to speak with someone confidentially, please call us toll-free at 1-888-407-0224 or email us at info@oandc.com.