KC Reporter

A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man, Marek Redding, has pleaded guilty in federal court to a sextortion scheme involving threatening victims, including minors, to extort them into sending pornographic images and videos of themselves. Redding, 20, admitted to inducing minor victims to produce child pornography and distributing it, as well as extorting an adult victim for more photographs.

"Redding admitted that he induced two minor victims to produce child pornography...and that he transmitted threats to injure the reputation of an adult victim," stated court documents.

Through the use of fake female personas on a social media application, Redding received nude photographs from multiple females, including minors, which he sold or offered to sell to others. Some victims reported that Redding threatened to distribute or publicly post their images if they did not continue sending nude images, some of which constituted child pornography.

The adult victim mentioned in the case shared that she had sent nude images to Redding and when she tried to stop, he threatened to disclose her images to her family, school, and employer.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, both Redding and the government are jointly requesting a total sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, the Grain Valley, Mo., Police Department, the Olathe, Kan., Police Department, and the FBI.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood works to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims.