Kenneth Larrechea, Child Pornography Possession, MO 2023

Kenneth Larrechea, 48, formerly of Marshall, Mo., is headed to federal prison for 13 years without parole after being sentenced on child pornography charges in Kansas City. U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips handed down the sentence, which includes an additional 10 years of supervised release, marking a grim end to a case rooted in digital predation and hidden-camera exploitation.

Larrechea pleaded guilty on November 20, 2017, to possession of child pornography. The conviction stems from an FBI-led investigation targeting users of Kik, an instant messaging app used to distribute illicit material. He was one of 158 individuals identified as recipients of child pornography from a New York-based distributor, who was separately prosecuted in the Northern District of New York.

On December 8, 2015, federal agents executed a search warrant at Larrechea’s Marshall residence, seizing multiple electronic devices, including computers, hard drives, and cell phones. Forensic analysis uncovered more than 400 videos and over 70 images of child pornography and erotica on his phone and an SD card. Among the most disturbing evidence: screen captures of a 10- or 11-year-old child, known to Larrechea, getting in and out of a shower—images believed to have been recorded with a concealed camera.

The child victim, unaware she was being recorded, told investigators she had no knowledge of the surveillance. Authorities concluded Larrechea not only possessed illegal material but likely produced it himself through secretive means, escalating the severity of his crimes beyond mere possession.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna and investigated jointly by the FBI and the Marshall, Missouri Police Department. The collaboration exemplifies the cross-agency effort required to dismantle digital networks of child exploitation.

This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual abuse online. The program continues to target predators using technology to exploit minors, marshaling resources across federal, state, and local levels to identify, apprehend, and convict offenders while rescuing victims.