Blue Springs Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Pornography

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Blue Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography.

Jon Hopkins, Jr., 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Hopkins to serve supervised release for Life following his incarceration and to pay $15,000 in restitution to his victims.

On October 29, 2024, Hopkins pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. According to court documents, while Hopkins was employed with Honeywell in Kansas City, Missouri, he was discovered to be in possession of an electronic device within the Honeywell facility in a secure classified area which prohibits electronics. His electronic device was lawfully searched, and law enforcement discovered images depicting child pornography during an initial review. A federal search warrant was obtained, and following detailed forensic analysis, hundreds of images and videos of child pornography were discovered on his phone, many of which focused on preteen girls. These images included depictions of 10 previously identified child pornography victims.

Hopkins is also charged in Jackson County, Missouri with the felony offenses of Statutory Rape or Attempted Statutory Rape in the First Degree of a child less than 12 years old, as well Statutory Sodomy or Attempted Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree of a child less than 12 years old. Those charges have been pending while this federal case has been ongoing.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the Department of Energy, Office of the Inspector General, as well as the Independence Missouri Police Department.

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 tab "resources."