Butler County Man ChargedWith Producing Child Pornography

KANSAS CITY, KAN. -  An Augusta, Kan., man has been indicted on charges of producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kan.

Kristopher K. Sims, 30, Augusta, Kan., is charged with two counts of production of child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 20, 2012, and Nov. 5, 2012, in Butler County, Kan.

Sims initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed Nov. 15 in U.S. District Court in Wichita. An investigator’s affidavit in support of the complaint alleges that a Wichita police detective initiated the investigation after receiving information from Omegle, an online chat service that encourages users to communicate anonymously with strangers. Investigators learned that during a chat on Omegle users exchanged an image of an adult male engaged in sexual activity with a female child who appeared to be under the age of four. They followed an electronic trail to Sims’ home in Augusta. They learned that Sims had used the Internet to pose as a 14-year-old boy in order to contact girls and to entice them to send him photos of themselves engaged in sexual activities.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Nicolas P. Juszcyk, 24, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Oct. 9, 2013, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and fine up to $5 million on the methamphetamine charge, not less than five years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other firearm charge. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic is prosecuting.

Anthony R. Barajas, 22, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Oct. 31, 2013, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

Brian Garner, 37, who is an inmate of the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of a prohibited object in the penitentiary. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 13, 2013, in Leavenworth, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

Leonard Frank Bagdol, 71, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Nov. 13, 2013, in Lawrence, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas Highway Patrol investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.