KC Reporter

A Joplin, Missouri man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly exploiting two children to produce child pornography. Russell Myers, 44, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by the grand jury in Springfield, Missouri.

The indictment charges Myers with two counts of using minor victims, identified in court documents as "Jane Doe" and "John Doe," to produce child pornography from January 1 to February 20, 2024. It should be noted that the charges contained in this indictment are accusations and not evidence of guilt. The evidence supporting these charges must be presented to a federal trial jury whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher is prosecuting the case. The Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, and the Joplin Police Department conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006. The project aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse by marshaling federal, state, and local resources to locate and apprehend individuals who sexually exploit children and identify and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc. Internet safety education resources are also available on this site under the "resources" tab.