Description: Kansas City, Missouri criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with distributing child pornography.

On July 26, 2023, Charles M. Witter, age 33, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography over the internet on Oct. 5, 2020, one count of transporting child pornography over the internet from Nov. 12, 2020, to Jan. 11, 2021, and one count of possessing child pornography from Nov. 12, 2020, to March 16, 2021, all after having been convicted of an offense relating to aggravated sexual abuse involving a minor. Witter, a registered sex offender, has prior felony convictions for statutory rape and statutory sodomy involving his sexual abuse of a 12-year-old child victim.

On Feb. 25, 2020, Witter was released from custody after serving six years in state prison for those prior convictions. Less than eight months later, he used a social media application to send an image of child pornography to another person.

Witter admitted that he sent an image of child pornography through a social media application to another person on Oct. 5, 2020. The image was flagged and a CyberTip report sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which forwarded it to the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Less than four months later, on Jan. 20, 2021, another online service provider submitted a CyberTip report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning a number of emails sent by Witter, which included 113 images of child pornography and child erotica from Nov. 12, 2020, to Jan. 11, 2021.

Investigators searched Witter’s cell phone and found 53 images of child pornography, three videos of child pornography, and 10 GIF files of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen A. Brackett and Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Outcome: The defendant pleaded guilty to Counts One, Two, and Three on July 26, 2023. The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 300 months as to each of Counts 1 and 2, and 240 months as to Count 3, to be served concurrently for a total term of 300 months. Upon release from imprisonment, the defendant shall be on supervised release for a term of Life as to each of Counts 1, 2, and 3, the terms to run concurrently. MPA $300. No fine. Restitution $8,000.

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