Two Joplin Men Indicted for Child Pornography

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Two Joplin, Mo., men have been indicted by a federal grand jury, in separate and unrelated cases, for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Both investigations originated with a series of CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children related to hundreds of images of child pornography uploaded to Google accounts in February 2018.

USA v. Snavely

Wyatt Max Snavely, 20, of Joplin, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Snavely on April 3, 2018.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers received three CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children related to hundreds of images of child pornography uploaded to Snavely’s Google account in February 2018.

Officers executed a search warrant at Snavely’s residence on March 29, 2018, and seized four cell phones, a laptop computer, and various digital media storage devices. During a forensic preview of one of Snavely’s SD cards that was seized from his bedroom, the affidavit says, investigators identified more than 1,000 images of child pornography.

USA v. Daggett

Jack D. Daggett, 29, of Joplin, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Daggett on April 3, 2018.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers received six CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children related to hundreds of images of child pornography uploaded to Daggett’s Google account on Feb. 17, 2018.

Officers executed a search warrant at Daggett’s residence on March 29, 2018, and seized a tablet computer and a desktop computer. During a forensic preview of the tablet, the affidavit says, investigators identified numerous files containing child pornography.

The charge contained in each of these indictments is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. They were investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) 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."