Jury Convicts Columbia Man of Child Exploitation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man has been convicted in federal court on charges related to child pornography and the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Jayme Nathaniel Walker, 42, of Columbia, was found guilty of producing child pornography, receiving child pornography and transferring obscene materials to a minor.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Walker communicated with a 14-to-15-year-old victim in Illinois, texting and exchanging pornographic photos and videos. The investigation began on June 13, 2014, when the child victim’s parents contacted Illinois State Police officers. The parents turned over a laptop computer, two cell phones and an iPod to investigators.

The child victim gave information to the investigators regarding his online relationship with Walker. He stated that he never met Walker in person, although they talked about meeting several times. He stated that he told Walker his true age. They had numerous conversations, including sexual conversations, and exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos.

Investigators discovered 77 images and six videos exchanged between Walker and the child victim.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., deliberated for about one and a half hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, ending a trial that began Monday, March 20, 2017.

Under federal statutes, Walker is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 60 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Turner and Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the FBI, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Police.

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."