U. S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming | U.S. Department of Justice
Jurors in the U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau have found Clinton Rongey, a 52-year-old man from Carter County, Missouri, guilty of producing child pornography. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday.
The trial presented evidence and testimony that revealed Rongey used a victim, aged three to four years old at the time, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for creating child sexual abuse material. Between February and November 2023, Rongey captured over 100 images of the victim.
Rongey's sentencing is set for April 29, 2025. The conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and could extend up to a maximum of 30 years.
The investigation was conducted by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office alongside the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Hunter and Nathan Chapman are handling the prosecution.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse. This program coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children online while also working to identify and rescue victims.
For more details about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
