TOPEKA, KAN. - An investigation that started in Australia has resulted in a Topeka man being charged with producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Jonathan Kearn, 38, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in April and May 2013 in Shawnee County, Kan.
Kearn initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed May 10, 2013, in U.S. District Court in Topeka. An affidavit in support of the complaint alleges the investigation began when an investigator working undercover for the Queensland Police Service in Queensland, Australia, received an email from Kearn. Kearn sent the investigator images of child pornography that were produced by Kearn.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the production charge; a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution charge and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution charge.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Steven Michael Gigger, 29, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, one count of unlawful possession of ammunition and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm with the serial number obliterated. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 19, 2013, in Douglas County, Kan.
Gigger was arrested after an incident May 19 in Lawrence, Kan. According to news reports, Lawrence police responded to a disturbance at the bar Club Magic, 804 West 24th St., when they heard gunshots and found a shooting victim on Greever Terrace. According to news reports, a vehicle driven by a second gunshot victim crashed into a police patrol car in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant.
If convicted on the federal charge, Gigger faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson’s office assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Charles Henderson, Jr., 24, Kansas City, Kan., and Kyser L. Leonard, 40, Kansas City, Kan., are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and two counts of distributing heroin within 1,000 feet of the Bethel Neighborhood Center playground in Kansas City, Kan. In addition, Henderson is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin within 1,000 feet of the Bethel Neighborhood Center and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of a controlled substance. In addition, Leonard is charged with one count of maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking at 14 North Tremont in Kansas City, Kan., and two counts of using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from Nov. 6, 2012, to May 6, 2013, in Kansas City, Kan.
The government is seeking the forfeiture of $25,139 in proceeds from the alleged crimes.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Conspiracy: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million.
Distribution: A maximum penalty of 40 years and a fine up to $2 million.
Possession with intent to distribute: Not less than five years and a fine up to $10 million.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.
Using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of four years on each count and a fine up to $30,000 on each count.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic is prosecuting.
Melissa Jo Brachter, 35, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of distributing marijuana within 1,000 feet of Ellsworth Junion and Senior High School in Ellsworth, Kan. The crime sare alleged to have occurred April 15, 2013, in Ellsworth County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces a penalty of not less than a year and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $500,000 on the first count and maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on the second count. The Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.
Gregory A. Madinger, II, Topeka, Kan., is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 17, 2013, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi is prosecuting.
Jose G. Jimenez, 29, Wichita, is charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 21, 2013, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
