Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

Blue Springs man pleads guilty to child exploitation

A Blue Springs man faces 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to inducing a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the production of child pornography, according to Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

William M. Brown, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays this afternoon to the charge contained in an April 8, 2010, federal indictment.

On May 12, 2008, Brown’s wife watched a DVD she found in his backpack. The DVD contained images of Brown engaging in sex with a 16-year-old female while inside a vehicle. When his wife then made a three-way call to Brown and her father, Brown stated he was going to commit suicide. Officers with the Blue Springs Police Department were called and took Brown into custody.

When the child victim was interviewed at the Child Protection Center, she stated Brown began making sexual advances toward her when she was 12-years-old. When the victim was 13, Brown began having sexual intercourse with her and took photos of her.

This continued for several years; when she was 15-years-old, the victim said, Brown gave her a cell phone and instructed her to send him pornographic photos of herself.

In May 2008, Brown told the child victim to sneak out of her house in the middle of the night. He picked her up in his vehicle and they drove to an area near her house; while inside the vehicle, they engaged in sexual intercourse. Brown videotaped the entire encounter.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Brown agree to request a sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole. 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 U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips. It was investigated by the Blue Springs Police 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, 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.