August 17, 2015

Former Analyst Sentenced for Downloading Child Pornography on DEA Computer 

KANSAS CITY, KS—A former analyst was sentenced Monday to 63 months in federal prison for downloading child pornography to a laptop computer assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Matthew Barnes, 34, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that on March 21, 2012, a detective with the Overland Park Police was able to download child pornography over the Internet from a laptop computer assigned to Barnes.

Investigators determined that the computer was located at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s offices in Overland Park, Kan. Barnes, who was a member of the Missouri National Guard, was assigned the laptop as part of his work as an analyst with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was able to identify 19 images from nine different known series of child pornography on Barnes’ computer.

Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.