Lohman man faces federal child-porn charge
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Lohman man has been accused of distributing child pornography.
Anthony Pitts-Fugate, 30, was charged in federal court Monday and arrested Tuesday, according to court documents. An initial court appearance was held Tuesday in Jefferson City. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Courtroom 3A.
Court documents claim Pitts-Fugate distributed child pornography to an undercover FBI agent in a KIK chatroom. KIK is a smartphone application used for sending and receiving messages, which can include photos and videos.
On March 30, a user named “MPHELPS12” joined a public KIK group -- that is known by the FBI – that includes users who distribute and possess child pornography. Court documents say the IP address associated with “MPHELPS12” belonged to Pitts-Fugate.
Pitts-Fugate allegedly sent a photo of himself with a child that he claimed was 3 years old in a message.
The undercover agent asked Pitts-Fugate, “You play with yours?” and Pitts-Fugate allegedly responded, “Some in bath time.” He also claimed he had been “playing” with the child for about a year. Pitts-Fugate allegedly sent several photos to the undercover agent.
