Missouri sex offender indicted on child pornography charges

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A registered sex offender from southwestern Missouri was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

This indictment resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.

Donnie Ray Sumner, 43, of Joplin, Mo., was charged in a one-count indictment that alleges he received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between July 1, 2012 and Jan. 21, 2013. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Sumner to forfeit to the government any property used to commit the alleged offense, including a desktop computer and a laptop computer.

Sumner is a registered sex offender due to a 2001 conviction for possessing child pornography. Under federal statutes, a conviction for the current charges would result in a mandatory sentence of 15 to 40 years in federal prison, without parole.

The charge contained in this indictment 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.