Registered Sex Offender/Parolee Charged with Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A registered sex offender has been charged in federal court for child pornography charges committed while he was on state parole for similar crimes.

Michael D. Shimon, 43 of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in a criminal complaint on Aug. 28, 2026. Shimon had his initial appearance this afternoon.

The federal complaint charges Shimon with one count each of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, both charged as a prior sex offender.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Dropbox, Inc. submitted a cyber tip report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a video uploaded to the Dropbox application by Shimon's account. Weeks later, an acquaintance of Shimon reported to authorities that he had observed images of possible child pornography in Shimon's home on one of Shimon's electronic devices. Based on this information, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigations served a federal search warrant upon Shimon's residence on Aug. 27, 2026. During their contact with Shimon at his home, investigators seized multiple electronic devices from his person. An analysis of Shimon's electronic devices located thousands of images of child pornography.

Shimon was previously convicted in Phelps County, Missouri with one count of promoting child pornography in the first degree and two counts of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced on all three counts to 12 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections in February 2017. Shimon was released from incarceration and placed on parole in 2021 and is currently a registered sex offender in the State of Missouri.

The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and are 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. Attorneys David Luna and Mitchell Widener. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, 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."