Date: 05-19-2015

Case Style: United States of America v. Morgan Littleton

Case Number: 4:14-cr-00168-GAF

Judge: Gary A. Fenner

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (Jackson County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Teresa A. Moore

Defendant's Attorney: Anita L Burns - FPD

Description: KANSAS CITY, MO – An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for using a child victim to produce child pornography. Morgan Littleton, 33, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 60 years in federal prison without parole, which is the maximum statutory penalty. The court also ordered Littleton to pay $5,350 in restitution to his victim.

On Jan. 5, 2015, Littleton pleaded guilty to two counts of using a 12-year-old victim to produce child pornography on two separate occasions in January 2013.

On April 29, 2013, an Independence police officer responded to a call related to a domestic assault. The officer contacted a woman who told him Littleton had grabbed and squeezed her throat, slammed her against the wall, and slapped her three times in the face because there was no sugar for his coffee. She also told the officer that several hours before the assault she had accidentally discovered evidence that Littleton was having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old female, identified as Jane Doe.

The woman reported that she found several SD memory cards in a black canvas bag that belonged to Littleton. One of the cards contained a video of Littleton engaged in illicit sexual activity with the child victim. She did not report this immediately because Littleton did not allow her to use the phone or leave the residence. After the domestic assault, she convinced Littleton to allow her to walk to the store for more sugar. He agreed to let her go and she took Jane Doe with her to a convenience store. Once at the store she asked the store manager to contact the police.

Police officers executed a search warrant at Littleton’s residence, where he resided with three adult women, who referred to him as “Master,” in a polygamous BDSM relationship, as well as with Jane Doe and another minor female. Officers seized computers, cameras and digital media. They found 12 video segments on a memory card, some of which appeared to have been filmed in a hotel room between Jan. 18 and March 25, 2013. The videos depicted Littleton engaging in illicit sexual activity with Jane Doe.

In a forensic interview, the child victim reported that Littleton had been molesting her once or twice a week since November 2012. He sometimes promised her food if, or would not allow her to see her friends unless, she engaged in illicit sexual activity.

Littleton has been charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with four counts of deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and four counts of domestic assault.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Outcome: Independence Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Producing Child Porn

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: Editor's Comment: This is effectively a life sentence without parole. The Defendant will die in prison.