Joplin Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges
Case Part of Project Safe Childhood

SPRINGFIELD, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Joplin, Missouri man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Vincent Hay, 24, of Joplin, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Hay on February 26, 2014.

Today’s indictment alleges that Hay received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between January 10 and February 25, 2014. Hay is also charged with possessing child pornography on February 25, 2014.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, a law enforcement officer was conducting an undercover investigation concerning the distribution of child pornography by using peer-to-peer file sharing software. Hay’s computer allegedly was identified as sharing videos of child pornography over the Internet. Officers executed a search warrant at Hay’s residence, which is a block away from an elementary school, and seized two computer towers.

Dickinson 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 Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the FBI.

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.”

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available online at http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/index.html.