KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Missouri man was charged with nine counts of attempted production of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney
David Lee Maddox, 59, Callaway County, was charged by indictment with nine counts of attempted production of child pornography on Aug. 5, 2025. The charges were made public this week following the arrest and first appearance in court by Maddox.
The investigation began on Aug. 8, 2023, when the St. Louis Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office received a referral from HSI Portland, Maine, pertaining to the defendant’s apparent communication via Microsoft Skype with known traffickers/sellers of live and recorded child sexual abuse videos operating in the Philippines.
The investigation showed defendant used Skype to receive “shows” from minor victims in the Philippines and paid for the shows by sending money via money transmittal services. From on or about Sept. 20, 2021, through Dec. 23, 2023, the defendant received “shows” depicting underage females on approximately 20 occasions.
Under federal statutes, if convicted, Maddox faces a federal prison sentence of up to 30 years on each count to be served without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is provided by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from Holts Summit, MO Police department and Missouri State Technical Assistance Team (STAT).