Springfield Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Producing Child Pornography

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for sexually exploiting a minor to produce child pornography.

Anthony Thompson, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Thompson to spend 10 years on supervised release following incarceration.

On Oct. 19, 2020, Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor. Thompson admitted that he victimized a minor in to produce child pornography on July 1, 2018.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

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."