Cole County Man Charged with Multiple Counts of Production of Child Pornography

JEFFERSON City, Mo. - A Jefferson City, Mo., man has been charged by a federal grand jury with child pornography charges.

Nathan Robert Kent, 33, is charged with three counts of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

Following a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cyber tip from Snapchat, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Kent's residence. After a forensic examination of Kent's electronic devices, law enforcement discovered he was using Snapchat and encrypted cellular phone applications to entice minor females to produce child pornography. Kent also sent files depicting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) to multiple users. Kent possessed over a thousand CSAM files.

The charges contained in this indictment 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.

Under federal statutes, Nathan Robert Kent is subject to a sentence of up to 140 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County Sheriff and Jefferson City 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."