Springfield Man Admits to Exploiting Minors in Sickening Scheme

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tyler Coons, 25, of Springfield, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of using a minor to produce child pornography and receiving/distributing it, the Department of Justice announced today. The case, a disturbing example of online predation, unfolded after a concerned father discovered inappropriate contact between Coons and his 11-year-old daughter.

The investigation began June 3, 2014, when the father noticed disturbing Facebook messages sent to his daughter by Coons. Suspecting something was amiss, the father posed as his daughter in online communication, arranging a meeting with Coons at a local elementary school playground. There, he confronted Coons and demanded he cease all contact with his daughter. Despite the warning, the depravity continued, expanding to include other vulnerable young girls.

A subsequent search of Coons’s Facebook account revealed over 8,000 pages of private messages. Investigators discovered Coons had been actively soliciting nude images from girls between the ages of 11 and 17. The messages were chilling, with Coons repeatedly referring to the victims as “jailbait” and openly acknowledging the illegality of his actions. He used multiple social media platforms – Snapchat, Instagram, and Kik – to facilitate the exchange of exploitative material.

On July 10, 2014, a search warrant was executed at Coons’s residence, where detectives found him with a 17-year-old female, who had previously sent him pornographic images. Coons confessed to a sexual relationship with the teen, admitting they may have been sexually active even when she was 16. Further investigation revealed the 17-year-old claimed she and another minor, believed to be 15, had engaged in sexual activity with Coons at his home the night before the raid.

Coons now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, with the potential for up to 50 years behind bars. The final sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation. The Department of Justice initiative brings together federal, state, and local resources to prosecute predators and rescue victims. More information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.