KC Reporter

An Independence, Missouri man has been sentenced in federal court following his involvement in two separate investigations concerning the distribution of child pornography. Joseph L. Schutz, 39, received a sentence of 13 years and four months in federal prison without parole from U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs. Following his incarceration, Schutz will undergo 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

On October 24, 2023, Schutz pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing child pornography over the internet. His activities were uncovered during an investigation by an FBI task force officer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who was operating undercover on the Kik Messenger application in May 2020. The officer infiltrated private groups dedicated to sharing child pornography, where Schutz was found to be both receiving and sharing illicit content.

A search warrant executed at Schutz’s residence on May 14, 2020, revealed images of child erotica and pornography on his cell phone. In another operation conducted by an FBI investigator in Texas during July and August 2022, Schutz communicated with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old female. He invited this individual into a Kik group focused on exchanging child pornography.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna and investigated by the FBI alongside police departments from Kansas City and Independence, Missouri.

This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.