ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County man appeared in federal court Tuesday to be sentenced for possession of tens of thousands of videos and images containing child pornography.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Missouri said Christopher Cotton, 32, pleaded guilty in April to one count of receiving child pornography.

But before sentencing, Cotton heard letters from victims describing their ongoing pain and grief, and fear they’ll be recognized by people who’ve seen the pictures.

“My sexual abuse occurred from the ages of 6-12. During this time my victimization was documented and shared across the country, and is continuously being shared,” wrote one victim under the pseudonym “Andy.” “I feel that every single criminal that is found with mine or another child’s images should be held accountable for the highest amount possible to help us victims repair our lives.”

The parents of another victim wrote, “Aside from the horrible truth that my daughter was horrifically abused from the ages of four to seven and her innocence was literally stolen, one of the ongoing concerns that plagues my child is that literally any person she meets on the street (or any teenage boy in her class) might have seen photos of her being cruelly debased and abused.”

Cotton admitted uploading illicit material to DropBox, which triggered a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The NCMEC contacted local law enforcement, who launched an investigation and obtained a search warrant for Cotton’s home. Police went to Cotton’s home on July 13, 2022.

Cotton told police he’d received sexually-explicit images or videos from at least 15 minors via social media, the youngest of whom was 13.

Investigators searched Cotton’s electronic devices, and discovered at least 16,677 images and 46,414 videos of child pornography on the devices and in online accounts tied to Cotton.

Federal prosecutors said victims are notified when their photos are found in possession of a new defendant. One victim in Cotton’s case said she’s received 22,000 such notifications.

“Each victim notification envelope represents someone who sexually enjoys seeing me hurt…,” another victim wrote. “When a market exists for child pornography, it will continue. I am constantly victimized, knowing the awful truth that I can never escape these photos.”

“I am so angry that the images are out there and can’t be taken down. I feel like the images will always be out there. I think I am too broken to be fixed,” another wrote.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Cotton to 10 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $66,000 in restitution to his known victims.