Augusta, GA
Waynesboro man gets 16 years in federal child porn case
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Burke County man has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he coerced a child to produce sexually explicit images.
Keyshawn Omar Cooper, 21, of Waynesboro, was sentenced to 200 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to production of child pornography.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Cooper to pay $3,000 in restitution and to serve 15 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender after completion of his prison term.
As described in court, in May 9, 2021, Cooper communicated via an internet application with an 11-year-old child in Missouri, and persuaded the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating visual depictions that the victim then sent to Cooper. The child’s mother discovered the activity.
The investigation determined the child and Cooper met online while playing the “Grand Theft Auto” video game, and Cooper pretended to be a young girl to persuade the child to send sexually explicit photos. Agents found those images, along with other sexually explicit images of children, saved on a phone seized from Cooper.
The case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons.
“This predatory crime represents a nightmare scenario for parents whose children connect with others to play games over the internet,” said U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg. “Thanks to the vigilance of one of those parents and diligent law enforcement partners, Keyshawn Cooper is no longer a danger to children.”
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