Child porn sends man to federal prison

STANBERRY, MO — A 34-year Stanberry man charged with 12 felony counts of sexual contact with a child under age 14 in Gentry County during 2011 pleaded guilty to child pornography in federal court on Oct. 16, 2012. Jeffrey Dale Wiederholt produced child pornography and possessed more than 1,000 images of child pornography and plead guilty to one count of attempting to produce child pornography, one count of transporting child pornography, and one count of receiving child pornography. Authorities say Wiederholt was caught trading child pornography with another person who was the target of an investigation conducted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigation. A review of Wiederholt’s email account and personal cell phone as well as his postings on the Russian image-hosting website that caters to traders of child pornography led to the criminal charges. Numerous additional felony charges are also involved. Under federal statutes, Wiederholt is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole for attempting to produce child pornography and a mandatory sentence of five years in federal prison without parole on each of the other two counts, up to a maximum sentence of 70 years in federal prison without parole.