Missouri man faces additional child exploitation charges following HSI investigation

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — An Ava man previously indicted for producing child pornography now faces additional charges that include victimizing a second child following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and joint law enforcement partner probe.

A federal grand jury in Springfield charged Harold Lloyd Blair Jr., 66, in a three-count superseding indictment. This indictment replaces the original indictment returned on Dec. 6, 2022, and includes two additional counts. It retains the original charge of using a minor to produce child pornography from Dec. 24, 2010, to Dec. 23, 2014, and includes a second count involving another child victim Blair allegedly used to produce child pornography from Oct. 17, 2013, to Oct. 16, 2014.

The indictment also charges Blair with one count of possessing child pornography.

The investigation began on Dec. 2, 2022, when workers employed by Douglas County, Mo., were tearing down Blair’s former residence after he sold it to the county. The workers discovered a filing cabinet containing images of child pornography and contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, not evidence of guilt. Prosecutors must present evidence supporting the charges to a federal trial jury whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan is prosecuting the case.

HSI, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the West Plains Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Douglas County prosecuting attorney.

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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to combat child exploitation in your community on Twitter @HSIKansasCity.