News Releases and Statements

Charles Willoughby III, 39, who served as a youth group leader at New Life Worship Center in Norfolk, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for his offenses.

A federal grand jury indicted Harold Lloyd Blair Jr., 66, in Springfield on Dec. 6, with one count of using a minor to produce child pornography. The indictment alleges that Blair used the child to produce pornography from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2013.

Armando Anthony Vidales, 25, from Poteet, Texas, will serve 360 months in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release. The judge also ordered him to pay $5,000 in restitution. Vidales pleaded guilty March 31.

Joel Cypert, 35, of Columbus, is accused of creating sexually explicit images of a prepubescent, minor victim.

A judge sentenced Dillon Everman, 30, to 345 months in prison for conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child (production of child pornography) following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations, commonly called HSI, and the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

A judge sentenced Paul John McNicol, 30, of LeClaire, Iowa to 216 months in prison for receiving child pornography on Nov. 30 following a Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, probe.

HSI welcomed seven new forensic analysts into its ranks during the HERO Corps graduation ceremony Dec. 8.

According to court documents, Dillon Everman, 30, of Parsons, Kansas, admitted in his guilty plea that he encouraged his 26-year-old co-defendant, Dustin Strom, to sexually abuse two young children and send him images of the abuse. Everman then saved the images and created a shareable link that he made available to Strom and others.

A jury convicted a West Plains man Dec. 6 of sexual exploitation of a 13-month-old child and distributing child pornography following a joint investigation between HSI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the West Plains, Mo., Police Department.

An investigation led by HSI Philadelphia landed a former Middlesex County, New Jersey sheriff’s deputy in federal prison for 15 years, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for producing, distributing and possessing child pornography. Joshua Padilla, 37, of Eatontown, New Jersey, was also ordered to pay $15,300 in special assessments when he received the lengthy prison sentence Friday.

Kody Ryan Kelso, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Kelso to spend 15 years on supervised release following incarceration.

For more than two decades, Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City has protected the public from crimes of victimization and strategically targeted and investigated individuals and networks that engage in child exploitation. Recently, the United Nations officially declared Nov. 18 to be the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence. The U.N. proclaimed the day to shine a light on child sexual exploitation and abuse and bring together stakeholders, such as HSI, from around the world to prevent it.

Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City Katherine Greer and Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jacob R. Price, 38, of Bellevue, was sentenced Nov. 17 in federal court by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. to 168 months’ imprisonment for receipt of child pornography following a joint HSI, law enforcement partner investigation.

Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City Katherine Greer and Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Sidney Marker, 28, of Seward, Nebraska, was sentenced in an Omaha federal court Nov. 14 for conspiracy to sex traffic minors following an HSI and law enforcement partner investigation. On Nov. 8, Chief Judge Rossiter sentenced Marker’s codefendant, Carney Turner, 42, of Omaha, to life imprisonment on one count of conspiracy to sex traffic minors, three counts of sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of enticement of a minor. Chief Judge Rossiter also sentenced codefendant Julisha Biggs, 20, of Omaha, to 87 months of imprisonment for her role in the conspiracy.

Brian Scott McGalem, 24, received the lengthy sentence on Wednesday for attempted production of and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City Katherine Greer and United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Omaha residents Carney Turner, 42, and Julisha Biggs, 20, were sentenced Nov. 8, in federal court for a conspiracy to sex traffic minors, following an HSI and joint law enforcement partner investigation.

According to court documents, Jimmy Lynn, 50, of Wichita is accused of using a young child to create sexually explicit images and distributing child porn.

Cory Lavell Smith, also known as “Fatz,” 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 18 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Smith to 20 years of supervised release following his incarceration.

Raymond Dugan was sentenced on Oct. 27, to four years and six months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for accessing with the intent to view prepubescent child pornography. Dugan must also register as a sex offender. A federal jury found Dugan guilty following a one-day trial.

Nathanal Pace, a 27-year-old Detroit resident, was arrested in December 2019, after local police received tips that someone in his residence had been trading child pornography online using a cloud-based storage service and a social media application. HSI Detroit special agents determined the individual to be Pace, and executed a search warrant at his residence. During the search, Pace admitted to sexually assaulting multiple children, and creating child pornography.

Robert Allen Yost, 61, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic children and production of child pornography, as well as conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit. Upon release from prison, Yost will be placed on lifetime supervised release with sex offender conditions and will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Matthew Alan McNair, 41, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was in Indiana in the summer of 2017 when he utilized an electronic device to take sexually explicit photographs of an 18-month-old infant. McNair took multiple sexually explicit photos of the infant on at least three different dates that summer.

Jorge Mario Manjarrez-Reyes, 30, was also ordered to be placed on a lifetime of supervised release and pay a $5,000 assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

Richard Blake Howard, a 28-year-old resident of Dickinson, Texas, was sentenced in the Southern District of Texas to 174 and 120 months for the receipt and possession of child pornography convictions, respectively. The two sentences will run concurrently for a total of 174 months in prison.

Jeffery Dean Biddle, 41, pleaded guilty Oct. 26, to production and attempted production of child pornography, receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and enticement and attempted enticement of a minor.