ICE HSI, NSP, investigation leads to former Bruning woman being convicted for distribution of child pornography

LINCOLN, Neb. — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City area of responsibility and United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Krystal Smith, 30, formerly of Bruning, Nebraska, was sentenced Jan. 26, 2022 in Lincoln by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for distribution of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Smith was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 8 years of supervised release with special conditions, following a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), HSI and the Nebraska State Patrol.

Smith was additionally ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case began with a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) cyber tip indicating that Facebook user “Shane Smith” had attempted to share a video of child pornography to another Facebook user in August of 2019. Later investigation determined that Krystal Smith’s husband, Shane Smith, was responsible for this activity. On Feb. 13, 2020, a residential search warrant was executed at Smith’s residence. Krystal Smith’s personal cellphone was among the devices that were seized during the execution of the search warrant. A forensic examination of her cellphone revealed sexually explicit files of a child in Krystal Smith’s life. These files included one video and multiple still photos which depicted the lascivious exhibition of the child’s genital area. The video and images appear to have been taken by Krystal Smith. Smith admitted to producing the video and sending it to her husband.

A review of Facebook message conversations between the Smiths additionally revealed that Krystal Smith produced and shared additional sexually explicit images and video files of the child to Shane Smith and had conversations discussing the potential sexual abuse of the child.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of DHS, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s child exploitation mission in your community @HSIKansasCity.