![]() ![]() Zeller was one of 14 defendants charged by the U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and Zoe Gross are prosecuting the case. “We are grateful to the many law enforcement partners who participated in this investigation.”Īssistant U.S. Our utilization of proactive investigative techniques stopped Zeller from completing the harm he intended,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “The FBI’s investigation revealed a deliberate attempt by Vallie Zeller to victimize a child. In addition, during the conversation over several days, Zeller asked the alleged girl for nude photographs and other sexually-explicit content.įairmont City man indicted for child porn On Wednesday Zeller was convicted of driving across the Missouri-Illinois border to engage in criminal sexual activity once the agent gave him an address for a residence in Collinsville to meet the purported minor. The agent was posing as a 15-year-old girl, and Zeller began sexually explicit conversations with the account, requested sexually explicit images of the minor, and made plans to meet for illegal sexual activity, knowing she was a minor. ![]() “The FBI works diligently to protect minors from online predators, and I appreciate their collaboration with our office to put this offender behind bars.”Īccording to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Zeller started conversing on an online platform with a profile created by an undercover FBI agent in June 2020. “The defendant deliberately tried to exploit a minor for sexual activity and chose to drive across state lines to engage in criminal sex acts, and I’m grateful the jury convicted him on all counts,” said U.S. Zeller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Instead, Zeller was communicating online with an FBI agent. Zeller was charged with setting up a June 2020 meeting in Collinsville for sex with what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl. ![]()
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