A Missouri man has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for recording his sexual abuse of a minor. U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Todd Kelly, 37, of Washington, Missouri, to 260 months in prison on Monday. Upon release, Kelly will be subject to supervised release for life.
Kelly admitted to making recordings of his sexual activity with a 14-year-old on his cell phone during June and July of 2023. The investigation began in August 2023 after the victim’s father discovered communications between Kelly and his daughter on Snapchat and reported the relationship to authorities. Investigators seized four cellular phones belonging to Kelly and found videos he had recorded.
Kelly pleaded guilty in April to one count of producing child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianne Edwards prosecuted.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc," according to officials.
