Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing child pornography.

Jesus Angel Rios, 20, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to one count of distribution of child pornography. By pleading guilty today, Rios admitted that he knowingly distributed child sexual abuse images over the internet between Sept. 26, 2024 and Dec. 5, 2024.

Under federal statutes, Rios is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Based on his plea of guilty, Rios will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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."