A Carthage, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to downloading thousands of photos and videos of child pornography to his workplace computer.
Shane Tyler Barton, 56, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Tuesday, April 11, to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
By pleading guilty, Barton admitted that he downloaded approximately 10,000 images and approximately 100 videos of suspected child pornography to his workplace desktop computer. He also admitted that he downloaded videos of child pornography to his employer-issued Apple iPhone. When Barton was arrested, he was in possession of a personal Apple iPhone and admitted that he had also viewed child pornography on that cell phone.
This case began when the director of information technology for Barton’s former employer was alerted to a suspected virus on Barton’s company-issued computer that was in Barton’s office and connected to the business network. On Jan. 5, 2022, he observed an unauthorized anti-virus program on the computer and discovered numerous files that contained adult and child pornography. He notified management of the violation of company policy.
Barton was placed on leave pending the resolution of an internal company investigation. He was instructed to turn over his company-issued iPhone. Barton resigned from his position with the company a couple of weeks later.
Under federal statutes, Barton is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, and up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the FBI and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
