Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Porn

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to producing and distributing child pornography.

Christopher Peck, 40, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to the charges contained in a Jan. 19, 2016, federal indictment.

By pleading guilty today, Peck admitted that he used two minors, identified in court documents as Jane Doe #1 and John Doe #1, to produce child pornography between Nov. 1, 2014, and Jan. 8, 2016. Peck also pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography during that time.

Co-defendant Tracy Ann Smith, 42, of Springfield, pleaded guilty on May 10, 2016, to one count of the sexual exploitation of a child and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Smith admitted that she used Jane Doe #1 to produce child pornography between Nov. 1, 2014, and Jan. 8, 2016. Smith also admitted that she received and distributed child pornography during that time.

Under federal statutes, Peck and Smith are each subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 50 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. Sentencing hearings for Peck and Smith have not yet been scheduled.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

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."