KANSAS CITY, MO. (KCTV) – A man identified in two federal cases of sharing child pornography online has been sentenced to just over 13 years in federal prison.

On October 24, 2023, Joseph L. Schutz of Independence, Missouri, pleaded guilty to charges of online offensive child pornography and possession of child pornography.

In early May 2020, an FBI task force officer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin went undercover while posing as a woman using the Kik Messenger app.

The undercover police officer participated in several private groups for people interested in child pornography. The group openly shared material among themselves.

Schutz, 39, admitted to sharing and receiving multiple videos and photos in one of his Kik groups.

On May 14, 2020, officers executed a search warrant at Schutz’s home. Investigators found 18 child erotica images and eight child pornography images on Schutz’s cell phone.

In July and August 2022, an FBI investigator in Texas spoke with Schutz online while conducting an undercover investigation. The undercover investigator posed as a 13-year-old woman.

Between July 28 and August 1, 2022, Schutz invited the undercover investigator to a Kik group dedicated to the exchange of child pornography. Schutz admitted that he shared many child pornography videos within the group during this time.

Schutz will spend 13 years and four months in federal prison without parole. His sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Once released, Schutz will also be required to register as a sex offender. He will also be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements that may apply for the rest of his life.

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.