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Date: 02-27-2021
Case Style:
Case Number: 4:20-cr-00125-BCW
Judge: Brian C. Wimes
Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (Jackson County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Kansas City, Missouri receiving child pornography charge criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant, Joseph L. Smith, 48, who was charged failure to register as a sex offender he was convicted in 1992 for forcible oral sodomy of an 8-year-old female. Smith was also convicted of failure to register as a sex offender in 2001.
On Oct. 15, 2020, Smith pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the internet. Smith admitted to participating in chat rooms and to receiving various links which included images and videos that depicted child pornography.
On March 15, 2018, investigators obtained a search warrant to seize Smith’s laptop and hard drive. A forensic analysis disclosed a total of approximately 13,036 suspected child pornography files on the laptop and hard drive. Of those files, 11,205 were still images and 1,831 were videos. Approximately 1,327 images and 428 videos depicted infants, toddlers, and prepubescent children. Approximately nine images and 52 videos depicted minor children subjected to bondage, torture, sadomasochistic behaviors, or other violence. Approximately 10 images and eight videos depicted minor children engaged in bestiality or sexual acts involving animals.
The investigation began on March 20, 2017, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Dropbox, Inc., regarding 49 files of child pornography uploaded into Smith’s account. Additionally, on June 8, 2017, the Toronto, Canada, Police Service executed a criminal code search warrant on the residence of an individual in Scarborough, Canada. During the search, the individual’s computers were examined and hundreds of images of child pornography were discovered. The police also reviewed approximately 30,000 Kik chats and identified Smith as one of a number of suspects whom the individual either sent to or received child pornography from.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Western Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.
ACTIVITIES RE MATERIAL CONSTITUTING/CONTAINING CHILD PORNO
(1s)
Outcome: Defendant was committed to BOP for term of 180 months as to Count 1s of the Superseding Information; followed by LIFE term of Supervised Release. Standard/Special Conditions imposed. Costs/Fines-Waived. MPA-$100.00. Restitution-$33,000.00. JVTA-Waived. The defendant is advised of right to appeal. Defendant remanded to custody of USM.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: