Missouri man pleads guilty to sexually exploiting 4-year-old child

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A southwestern Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to sexually exploiting a 4-year-old child to produce child pornography.

This guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Missouri police departments of Duenweg and Sarcoxie, and the Jasper County (Missouri) Sheriff's Department.

Tony Lasiter, 32, of Duenweg, Missouri, pleaded guilty to the charge contained in an Oct. 1, 2013, federal indictment.

According to court documents, in August 2013, Lasiter used his cell phone to take nude photos of a 4-year-old child, identified in the indictment as Jane Doe, while she was in the bathtub and while she was lying in a bed with someone touching her in a sexual manner. Lasiter downloaded the photos to his laptop computer and then transferred the files to a digital memory device (SD card). The files were discovered when the victim's father noticed the SD card in the computer and opened the files, according to court documents.

Under federal statutes, Lasiter is subject to a sentence of 15 to 30 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including producing and distributing online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.