A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to recording his sexual abuse of a seven-year-old victim and sharing a video of the abuse online.
Jeffrey A. Knight, 32, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of producing child pornography.
By pleading guilty today, Knight admitted that he used his iPhone to create an image and two video recordings of his sexual abuse of the child victim on Feb. 2, 2020. Knight then distributed one of those videos over the internet.
Knight also admitted that he sexually abused the child victim on multiple occasions until April 2022.
Knight has been involved in the trafficking and possession of child pornography since at least 2013. He routinely used messaging applications, such as Telegram, to send and receive child pornography from other individuals over the internet. He also paid money to join online groups that focused on the trafficking of child pornography and engaged in the trafficking of child pornography with other members of those online groups.
Knight uploaded hundreds of images and videos of child pornography to his online storage accounts, including Google and Dropbox, from 2013 until his arrest on Feb. 3, 2023. Knight was in possession of hundreds of images and videos of child pornography at the time of his arrest.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
