NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

MATT J. WHITWORTH

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDEPENDENCE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CHILD PORN

FACES AT LEAST 15 YEARS IN PRISON

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Matt J. Whitworth, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to possessing and distributing child pornography.

Gordon P. Grant, 43, of Independence, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Scott O. Wright this morning to the charges contained in a Feb. 4, 2009, federal indictment.

On Feb. 6, 2008, Independence Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Grant’s home. When they entered the residence, his desktop computer was on, connected to the Internet, running peer to peer software and offering to share files with names consistent with child pornography. A forensic examination of the computer found 10 child pornography videos, a large number of partial downloads and a large number of thumbnail images of child pornography.

By pleading guilty today, Grant admitted that he published a notice of child pornography, attempted to distribute child pornography, received child pornography over the Internet and was in possession of child pornography.

Today’s plea agreement also contains the government’s contention that Gordon sexually abused two minors and videotaped one incident of sexual abuse. One child victim disclosed that Grant sexually abused her for approximately nine years, from the time she was 6 or 7 years old until she was approximately 15 years old. A 14-year-old victim disclosed that Grant began sexually abusing her when she was 8 years old.

Under federal statutes, Grant is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 80 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $1 million and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

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