Nixa Man Indicted for Producing Child Pornography

SPRINGFIELD, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nixa, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for producing child pornography.

Michael John Kinney, 37, of Nixa, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo.

Today’s indictment alleges that Kinney used a minor victim to produce child pornography between Jan. 27, 2007, and Jan. 26, 2009.

The federal indictment also charges Kinney with one count of distributing child pornography over the Internet between Oct. 5, 2010, and April 29, 2011. Kinney is also charged with one count of possessing child pornography on April 29, 2011.

Today’s indictment also contains a forfeiture provision, which would require Kinney to forfeit to the government two laptops computers that were used to commit the alleged offenses.

Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.