July 22, 2014

Springfield Sex Offender Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

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

Anthony Richard Salois, 47, of Springfield, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield.

Today’s indictment alleges that Salois received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between Sept. 16 and 20, 2013. Because Salois has a prior state conviction for sexual abuse involving a minor, upon conviction he would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole.

The indictment also charges Salois with being in possession of child pornography on Oct. 10, 2013. Due to his prior state conviction, this count carries a mandatory minimum sentence upon conviction of 10 years in federal prison without parole.

The federal indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Salois to forfeit to the government two desktop computers and 121 optical media.

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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the FBI and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force.

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.”