Columbia Man Indicted with Attempted Enticement and Sex Trafficking of a Minor, and Child Pornography Offenses

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Travis R. Moreland, 37, of Columbia, Mo., was indicted by a federal grand jury for attempted enticement and sex trafficking of a minor, as well as child pornography offenses.

On Dec. 29, 2025, Moreland allegedly engaged in online communication with an undercover law enforcement officer posing online as a 16-year-old minor. According to court documents, during his conversation with the person he believed to be a minor, Moreland arranged to meet the purported minor to engage in sexual conduct in exchange for $80. Moreland was later arrested on Dec. 29, 2025, after he arrived at an agreed upon location.

After the arrest, law enforcement analyzed Moreland's cellular telephone and located more than 8,000 files depicting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

The charges contained in the indictment are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty it is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner It was investigated by Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Boone County Cyber Crimes Taskforce.

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."