Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Today, JASON MARC JANATSCH, 26, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography depicting a female toddler whom he babysat, announced Mark A. Yancey, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
According to court records, in September 2015, undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents downloaded child pornography via Kik, a smartphone instant messaging application, from a man in Christchurch, New Zealand. Authorities in New Zealand located the man and forensic analysis of his Kik account revealed that he had exchanged child pornography with a Kik user with the screen name "TheLoverOfTheLittle." HSI agents in the United States traced this Kik screen name to Janatsch, who worked at an Oklahoma City daycare center. Janatsch also worked as a freelance babysitter who advertised his services on www.sitter.com.
Janatsch was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 6, 2016. During the plea hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen P. Friot, Janatsch admitted that on June 11, 2015, he used a female toddler whom he was babysitting to engage in sexually explicit conduct and took photographs with his iPhone. Then Janatsch, using his iPhone, transmitted the photographs to the New Zealand man. According to court records, he also received child pornography from the New Zealand man in return.
At sentencing, Janatsch faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be set by the court in approximately 90 days.
This case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the New Zealand Police Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand team. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Hale.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
