Joshua Courtney, Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Kansas 2024

A Bonner Springs man has pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual acts with a child and taking nude pictures and videos of the child, according to a recent court filing. Joshua Courtney, 35, of Bonner Springs pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and four counts of possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, investigators found dozens of pornographic images in Courtney’s Google photos, including some of which were later identified to be of a 10-year-old child. Courtney admitted to investigators he took nude photos of the child, filmed himself while engaged in sexual acts with the child, and sent these materials to others. He also admitted receiving child pornography of other children on his cell phone.

The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received cybertips from Google, Snapchat, and Dropbox about child sexual abuse material photos and videos within accounts identified as belonging to Joshua Courtney. Agents found the disturbing images and videos, leading to Courtney’s arrest.

Courtney faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of child exploitation and up to 20 years in prison for each count of possession of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for December 1. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Secret Service is proud of the effective partnerships it maintains with the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the United States Attorney’s Office, whose tireless efforts were instrumental in seeing justice served in this case, said Kansas City Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brandon Bridgeforth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Faiza Alhambra is prosecuting the case. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service are investigating the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

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