KC Reporter

An employee of the federal government has been charged with possession of child pornography, according to a recent announcement from Kansas City, Missouri. Joshua E. Peccia, 46, residing in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, faces charges following a criminal complaint filed under seal on November 5th in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. The complaint was made public after Peccia's arrest and his initial court appearance.

Peccia works as an operations support specialist at the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He is accused of possessing child pornography based on allegations that he uploaded eight videos to the Verizon Cloud on December 19, 2023. During a search of his residence, law enforcement officers seized various electronic devices including cell phones and computers. Investigators reported finding 630 videos depicting apparent child sexual abuse material on one of Peccia’s cell phones, along with 1,600 potential images and videos.

The charges against Peccia are accusations at this stage and require evidence to be presented to a federal trial jury for determination of guilt or innocence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett is prosecuting the case which was investigated by the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration between federal, state, and local resources.