A shocking case of child sex exploitation has come to light in Joplin, Missouri, with James Hajny, 51, pleading guilty to multiple charges of exploiting minors for pornographic purposes.
Hajny, a resident of Joplin, Mo., entered a plea of no contest before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to two counts of using minors to produce child pornography, one count of receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet, and one count of possessing child pornography.
His wife, Gina Hajny, 41, of Joplin, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was sentenced on March 1, 2016, to five years in federal prison without parole. Gina Hajny admitted that she occasionally used her husband’s laptop and saw images of child pornography, but did not report the matter to law enforcement.
The case against James Hajny began on Jan. 17, 2014, when federal law enforcement agents received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an email that contained child pornography. The email included a pornographic image of a 7-year-old victim, identified in the indictment as Jane Doe #2.
On May 14, 2014, federal law enforcement agents received a referral from the Queensland, Australia, Police Service regarding a user – later identified as James Hajny – uploading child pornography to a Russian-hosted Web site that allows users to store and share images. Among the images of child pornography were seven photos of a 9-year-old victim, identified in the indictment as Jane Doe #1.
Agents executed a search warrant at Hajny’s residence on May 16, 2014. Gina and James Hajny refused to allow officers to enter, attempting to slam the door shut. Officers were able to push the door open and enter the home. James Hajny was patted down for officer safety and a marijuana pipe was located in his front left pocket. James Hajny was placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Prosecutors stated that under federal statutes, Hajny is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 30 years in prison, on each of the two child exploitation counts; a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to 20 years in federal prison, for receiving and distributing child pornography; and a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole for possessing child pornography.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ami Harshad Miller and James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Related Federal Cases
- James Jones, Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Missouri 2010 · Iowa
- Trevor Norman, Child Sex Exploitation, Missouri 2023 · Missouri
- Chase Trevor Norman, Child Sexual Exploitation, Missouri 2024 · North Carolina
- John Paul Sparapani, Child Exploitation and Pornography, Missouri 2024 · Illinois
- James Loyd Wainright, Attempted Production of Child Pornography, Missouri 2017 · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes