Area Scouting America Troop Leader Charged with Production of Child Obscenity

KANSAS CITY, MO. - Jonathan Xavier Valdez, 36, of Blue Springs, Mo., was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. on Saturday, June 13, 2026. Valdez had his initial appearance this afternoon.

The federal complaint charges Valdez with one count of Production of Child Obscenity involving multiple minors. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Valdez, over the course of at least 10 months, manipulated clothed images of multiple minors to create nude graphic depictions of those children appearing to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Valdez has been a troop leader with Scouting America for over a year. Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the allegations after a witness came forward on June 12, 2026, and reported having observed obscene images of minors on Valdez's smart TV screensaver. During a subsequent search of Valdez's residence, FBI investigators located multiple manipulated still images and videos depicting at least five minors either nude or engaged in sexually explicit conduct on Valdez's TV, cell phone, and other devices.

At this time, investigators have not determined any alleged offenses regarding hands-on abuse by Valdez. As always, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office encourage the public to report any knowledge of potential violations of federal law to 1-800-CALL-FBI or provide a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

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 David Luna. It was investigated by 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."