KC Man Charles Sheppard Sentenced to 17 Years for Child Porn

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a chilling case of child exploitation, Charles Ray Sheppard, 33, from Kansas City, Missouri, has been sentenced to 17 years and six months in federal prison without parole for soliciting and receiving images and videos of child pornography online.

On July 8, 2021, the court heard Sheppard’s guilty plea on one count of receiving child pornography over the internet and another count of possessing it. The defendant’s despicable acts began when he was a teenager, engaging in sexual contact with a child victim. He then reconnecting with the same victim through Facebook Messenger at age 13, exchanging pornographic photos during online conversations.

Investigators were able to seize two cell phones from Sheppard, one containing conversations over Kik where he requested and received images of child pornography. The phone also held 38 photos and two videos of such material. Sheppard further admitted to sending nude images of himself to a 14-year-old victim and performing live sexual acts with a 13-year-old on the Kik application.

Upon his arrest on June 9, 2020, Sheppard was found in possession of another cell phone containing child pornography. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna prosecuted this case, which was investigated by the FBI as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, coordinates federal, state, and local efforts to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information on this critical initiative, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.