Jury Convicts KC Man of Child Sexual Obscenity

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man with a prior federal felony conviction for possessing child pornography was convicted at trial today of printing obscene images from a computer at a local public library.

David R. Buie, 63, of Kansas City, was found guilty of one count of possessing obscene images of the sexual abuse of children, contained in an Oct. 25, 2017, federal indictment.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Buie printed images of child obscenity from a computer at a public library. On July 11, 2017, Buie printed about 50 pages from a computer he was using at the Mid-Continent Public Library at 9253 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Buie didn’t realize that the printer stopped because it was out of toner, so his print jobs were interrupted and only about half of his pages were printed. After Buie left the library, the toner in the printer was changed and the remaining pages of his original print job were printed. As one of the librarians was cleaning up, she removed the remaining pages and observed they were color copies from a graphic sex comic.

Library staff contacted the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department to make a report. Buie was identified because his library card was associated with the print job. Security cameras within the library showed him using a computer at the time of the printing.

The U.S. Probation Office was also contacted, because Buie was on supervised release for a prior federal felony conviction for possessing child pornography. When probation officers searched Buie’s residence, they found the images of child obscenity that Buie had printed at the library. Buie told investigators that he visited various public libraries about once a week to view child obscenity anime. Buie said he often printed the images on the library’s printer.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for less than an hour before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a trial that began Monday, May 7, 2018.

Under federal statutes, Buie is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole due to a prior felony conviction for possessing child pornography, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 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 Teresa Moore. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Probation Office.

Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."