Kansas City Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Mo., man was charged with child pornography offenses in a now-unsealed federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri.

Luis Leony Valentin, 34, was charged by federal criminal complaint with production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography over the internet, and possession of child pornography. Following his arrest today, Valentin had his first appearance in court.

An affidavit filed with the complaint alleges that Valentin communicated over the internet with a 14-year-old to obtain depictions of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Valentin possessed numerous videos of child pornography of minor females.

The charges contained in this complaint 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 Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the Kansas City Missouri Police Department and the FBI.

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 "resources" tab.