KC Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Illegal Sexual Activity with a Minor and Child Pornography Charges

KC Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Illegal Sex with a Minor, Child Pornography

A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally enticing a child victim to engage in illicit sexual activity and for receiving child pornography.

Anthony Byron Marshall, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark on Wednesday, Feb. 28, to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Marshall to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

Marshall will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On July 25, 2023, Marshall pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and four counts of receiving child pornography.

Child Pornography Investigation

In May 2021, FBI agents learned Marshall had been texting with the subject of another child pornography investigation. In one text, Marshall requested images of child pornography and received a MEGA link, containing 15 images and 89 videos of known child pornography and 70 images and 1,401 videos of suspected child pornography.

On October 19, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Marshall’s residence, seizing multiple electronics, including Marshall’s iPhone. Investigators found sexually explicit communications between Marshall and two juvenile females, ages 13 and 17, as well as sexually explicit videos sent by the victims to Marshall.

The child victims reported several instances of illegal sexual activity with Marshall during interviews conducted by investigators. Court documents reveal that Marshall contacted one of the child victims after being contacted by law enforcement, instructing her not to speak to the police. He also reached out to her through his Facebook page after she had been contacted by law enforcement.

Legal Proceedings

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly and investigated by the FBI. Marshall pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and four counts of receiving child pornography.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat 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 aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood and Internet safety education, please visit the Department of Justice website.