Registered sex offender charged with possession of child pornography

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging a convicted sex offender with possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Jesse William Laws, 46, of Leavenworth was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography.

Laws is accused of knowingly viewing or accessing CSAM in November 2025 and therefore allegedly a violation of his terms of release related to a previous conviction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana for receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography in 2006, and a conviction in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri for possession of child pornography in 2017.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey McCormick is prosecuting the case.

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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Adrian German Marrufo-Morales, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Fadler is prosecuting the case.

James D. Hall, 35, of Kansas City, Kansas, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting the case.

Raul Leyva-Ramirez, 45, an illegal alien from Mexico was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ola Odeyemi is prosecuting the case.

Sergio Manuel Martinez-Sanchez, 53, an illegal alien from Mexico was indicted on one count of reentry by a previously removed alien. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Hines is prosecuting the case.

Obed Rocha-Flores, 41, an illegal alien from Mexico was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Fadler is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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