KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Blue Springs, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges related to receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

James R. East, 67, of Blue Springs, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.

Today’s indictment charges East with one count each of attempting to receive child pornography and attempting to distribute child pornography over the Internet between Oct. 1, 2009, and Jan. 14, 2010.

The federal indictment also charges East with one count each of receiving child pornography over the Internet and possessing child pornography on Jan. 22, 2010.

Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Marquez. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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