JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.
Lucas Wayne Slusser, 35, of Jefferson City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to seven years in federal prison without parole.
Slusser, who pleaded guilty on May 15, 2017, admitted that he sent and received hundreds of videos and photos of child pornography over the Internet, including images of toddlers and infants. According to court documents, investigators examined Slusser’s computer and cell phones and found 1,507 files depicting infants and toddlers, 77 files depicting violent sexual acts against children and 49 child pornography videos that contained sexual acts with animals.
In May and June 2016, a federal agent observed Slusser distributing child pornography on the Kik Messenger platform. Slusser posted a video of child pornography and five images of child pornography on one occasion. Slusser later posted an image of a female child bound with rope around her legs and arms and additional videos of child pornography.
On Aug. 26, 2016, agents executed a search warrant at Slusser’s residence and seized numerous digital devices, including a desktop computer and multiple cell phones. Investigators examined the cell phones and digital devices and identified numerous suspected child pornography files, containing both video and images. The files depicted infants and toddlers, violent sexual acts against children, and videos depicting child pornography that contained sexual acts with animals. They also located child erotica and Internet history that indicated Slusser was seeking out and sharing child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
