Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a child.

Kelly Martin Roods, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Roods to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration.

On April 19, 2018, Roods pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. Roods admitted that he used his cellphone to record a video of himself and a 17-year-old minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

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."