A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for secretly video recording a 14-year-old victim in the victim’s bedroom.
Jonathan Rodger Nelson, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 17 years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 2, 2021, Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of the attempted production of child pornography. Nelson admitted that he placed a camera, hidden in an alarm clock, in the child victim’s bedroom to secretly record the victim.
The investigation began on March 30, 2018, when a reporting party told police officers she looked at Nelson’s cell phone and saw what appeared to be video footage of the child victim’s bedroom. The reporting party then found a camera hidden in an alarm clock that Nelson had purchased online and placed in the bedroom several weeks before.
During a forensic examination of Nelson’s computer hard drive, investigators found more than 400 video and graphics files from the hidden camera. Investigators also found approximately 85 files from various livestream apps in which Nelson asked females of various ages, including children, to perform certain acts while on camera. For example, Nelson recorded his interaction with a minor female in which he promised her a phone and makeup to undress and engage in sexually explicit behavior.
Additionally, other images or videos of child pornography were found on Nelson’s devices. Nelson admitted using peer-to-peer software to download child pornography, including children as young as seven or eight years old. He admitted to looking for chat groups sharing child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
