Lee’s Summit Man Indicted for Child Pornography and Transferring Obscene Material to Minors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, MO, man was arrested today following an indictment by a federal grand jury for receiving and possessing child pornography, as well as transferring obscene material to a minor.

Matthew R. Taylor, 42, was charged in a five-count indictment on March 26, 2025, which was unsealed following his arrest today. Those charges include one count of receiving child pornography on or about April 2, 2022, one count of possessing child pornography on or about May 17, 2023, and three counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor between approximately April 2, 2022, and February 10, 2023.

Taylor is alleged to have been engaged in explicit sexual communications with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old child.  On or about April 2, 2022, he received multiple images of a minor engaged in sexual acts with an adult male.  On at least three occasions between April 2, 2022, and February 10, 2023, Taylor sent obscene images to a person he believed to be a minor within the context of his sexual communications with the minor.  A federal search warrant was executed at Taylor’s residence in Lee’s Summit, MO, and additional images of suspected child pornography were discovered in his possession.

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.

Under federal statutes, if convicted, Taylor is subject to a sentence of at least five years, and up to seventy 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 Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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."