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

NOVEMBER 30, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CHILD PORN

            JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Matt J. Whitworth, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing child pornography.

            James Lee Melvin, 57, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge William A. Knox this morning to the charge contained in a March 2, 2009, federal indictment.

            Melvin admitted that he downloaded child pornography over the Internet, and that he used a file-sharing program to distribute child pornography to others over the Internet. During a forensic examination of Melvin’s computer, investigators found nearly 300 images of child pornography.

            Under federal statutes, Melvin is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. 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 Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

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