EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A U.S. District Judge sentenced a Worden man to serve seven years in federal prison for the possession of child pornography.
Joseph Vieth, 36, was ordered to pay a fine of $5,000, an additional $5,000 to the courts for their investigation, and $6,000 to the victims. Following his prison sentence, he will have five years of supervised release.
On Oct. 5, 2021, officers obtained a search warrant for Vieth’s house. There, they seized multiple electronic devices, and while searching his cell phone, they found 600 images of underage children.
According to court documents, Vieth was a part of an online group that was distributing child pornography. He was active in the group from March 28 to October 18, 2021, and on four occasions spoke with an undercover officer.
During the four instances, Vieth gave the officer five different videos of child pornography.