SPRINGFIELD, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that five men have been indicted by a federal grand jury, in separate and unrelated cases, for offenses involving child sexual exploitation and child pornography.

USA v. Crippen

James Allen Crippen, 43, of Joplin, Mo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned today by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo.

Today’s indictment alleges that Crippen received and distributed child pornography over the Internet on July 20, 2014. Crippen is also charged with possessing child pornography on Oct. 22, 2014. The indictment contains a forfeiture count, which would require Crippen to forfeit to the government any property used to commit the alleged offenses, including two desktop computers, an iPhone, two cell phones, 42 optical media disks and other electronic media storage devices.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force, the FBI and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

USA v. Norman

Chase Trevor Norman, 24, of Cassville, Mo., was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Norman on Oct. 15, 2014.

The indictment alleges that Norman used a minor to produce child pornography between Sept. 21 and Oct. 10, 2014. The indictment also charges Norman with two counts of using the Internet and a cell phone to induce a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Norman used an iPod app to send obscene photos of himself to a 12-year-old child, and requested and received nude images of the child victim. Norman allegedly was making arrangements to meet the child for sexual contact. The child victim told investigators that she met Norman on Facebook; she sent him a friend request, the affidavit says, because she assumed he was friends with one of her friends. A law enforcement officer assumed the identity of the child victim, according to the affidavit, and made arrangements to meet Norman in the parking lot of a local church for the purpose of taking the child back to his apartment to engage in sexual activities. Norman was arrested as he approached the meeting location.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

USA v. Albert

David Albert, 50, of Springfield, Mo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The federal indictment alleges that Albert attempted to use a minor to produce child pornography between Aug. 1 and Oct. 2, 2014. Albert is also charged with receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet between Jan. 1 and Oct. 2, 2014.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force, Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

USA v. Schaefer

Darren Eugene Schaefer, 36, of Marionville, Mo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The federal indictment alleges that Schaefer used the Internet and a cell phone to induce a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force, Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI.

USA v. Grant

Sheehan R. Grant, 37, of Iowa, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The federal indictment alleges that Grant traveled across state lines from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Joplin, Mo., on Oct. 16, 2014, for the purpose of engaging in illicit sex with a minor.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force and Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”