Tyler Bradley Wirth, Child Pornography Production, MO 2024

St. Joseph, Missouri, man Tyler Bradley Wirth, 31, has been hit with federal charges for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography — crimes rooted in a digital underworld where predators trade in the abuse of the most vulnerable.

Wirth was charged in a four-count criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on counts including two of producing child pornography, one of distributing it over the internet, and one of possession. He remains locked in federal custody as he awaits a detention hearing Friday, Aug. 14, with no bail likely in sight.

According to a sworn affidavit, Wirth engaged in online conversations with FBI undercover operatives in both New York and Kansas City, part of a broader probe into a network of users openly expressing sexual interest in minors. In those exchanges, he transmitted an identical image of child pornography showing a prepubescent girl, identified in court records as “Minor Victim 1 (MV1).” He later sent multiple child porn videos to the FBI agent based in Kansas City.

A search warrant executed at Wirth’s residence on Aug. 10 uncovered the depth of his alleged crimes. During questioning, Wirth admitted to possessing approximately 1,000 images of child sexual abuse — including material involving MV1 and a second minor, “Minor Victim 2.” He confessed to producing pornographic content of both children, according to law enforcement.

Wirth allegedly used social media platforms to distribute those illicit images, trading them with other users in a despicable barter system — giving abuse material to receive more. Each transaction deepened the trauma for victims and expanded the digital footprint of his crimes across state lines, triggering federal jurisdiction.

The charges remain accusations, not proof of guilt, prosecutors caution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Borgnino is leading the prosecution. The FBI conducted the investigation, part of the Department of Justice’s nationwide Project Safe Childhood initiative, launched in 2006 to dismantle networks of child sexual exploitation. A trial jury will ultimately decide Wirth’s fate.