KC Man Pleads Guilty to Photoshopping Himself into Child Porn

Kansas City, Mo. – A 68-year-old man has been sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography and using photo-editing software to insert his own image into illicit material depicting children as young as 13 and 14. Patrick O. Chapin admitted in court to creating graphic, fabricated images that appeared to show him engaged in sexual acts with minors.

Chapin, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on charges stemming from a shocking discovery at a local computer repair shop. On March 17, 2014, he brought his desktop computer and an external hard drive in for repairs, requesting a hard drive replacement and data transfer. The technician scanned the backup drive and found what appeared to be child pornography—promptly alerting the Kansas City Police Department.

During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Chapin admitted he had been viewing child pornography for 14 years. He confessed that his collection featured recurring, violent themes, including the graphic rape and sodomy of prepubescent and pubescent girls by adult men. He further admitted possessing images involving bondage and bestiality.

Forensic analysis of Chapin’s devices uncovered 2,131 photos and 101 videos of child pornography. Investigators also discovered multiple files created with Photoshop Deluxe, in which Chapin layered images of himself over existing child pornographic content. The result: digitally altered scenes that falsely depicted him committing sexual crimes against children.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna and investigated jointly by the FBI and the Kansas City Police Department. Authorities emphasized that the digital manipulation of child sexual abuse material doesn’t lessen the severity of the crime—especially when such images are used to fuel further exploitation and gratification.

This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation. The program brings together federal, state, and local agencies to identify, apprehend, and prosecute offenders while working to rescue victims. For more information, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

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