Missouri Man Sentenced to 260 Months in Prison for Recording His Sexual Abuse of a Minor

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual activity with a 14-year-old to 260 months in prison.

Todd Kelly, now 37, of Washington, Missouri, will be on supervised release for life after he is released from prison. Kelly admitted making the recordings on his cell phone in June and July of 2023. The investigation began in August of 2023 when the victim's father learned about the relationship and discovered Snapchat communications between Kelly and his daughter. Investigators seized Kelly's four cellular phones and found videos that he recorded.

Kelly pleaded guilty in April to one count of producing child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory sentence of at least 15 years in prison.

The Warren County Sheriff's Department, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianne Edwards prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.