KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A former paraprofessional in suburban Kansas City has pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child pornography after investigators say they found thousands of images and videos at his home of infants and toddlers being sexually assaulted.
Steven Allen, 45, of Independence, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to two counts of producing the child pornography and a single count of distributing child pornography over the internet, federal prosecutors for western Missouri said in a news release.
Allen was employed by Blue Springs High School when he was arrested in late 2019 after a raid on his home, and he has been in federal custody since, prosecutors said.
Allen’s arrest came after he exchanged message with an undercover officer in the United Kingdom who was posing as the father of a 10-year-old girl. During that correspondence, Allen sent images of one of the minor victims and said he fantasized about sexually abusing a child, prosecutors said.
Investigators said more than 9,200 images and 89 videos showing child pornography, violent sexual assaults and bestiality were found on electronic devices at his home.
Allen faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison when he’s sentenced at a later date.
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