An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for using a child victim to produce child pornography.
Morgan Littleton, 33, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 60 years in federal prison without parole, which is the maximum statutory penalty. The court also ordered Littleton to pay $5,350 in restitution to his victim.
On Jan. 5, 2015, Littleton pleaded guilty to two counts of using a 12-year-old victim to produce child pornography on two separate occasions in January 2013.
On April 29, 2013, an Independence police officer responded to a call related to a domestic assault. The officer contacted a woman who told him Littleton had grabbed and squeezed her throat, slammed her against the wall, and slapped her three times in the face because there was no sugar for his coffee. She also told the officer that several hours before the assault she had accidentally discovered evidence that Littleton was having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old female, identified as Jane Doe.
The woman reported that she found several SD memory cards in a black canvas bag that belonged to Littleton. One of the cards contained a video of Littleton engaged in illicit sexual activity with the child victim. She did not report this immediately because Littleton did not allow her to use the phone or leave the residence. After the domestic assault, she convinced Littleton to allow her to walk to the store for more sugar. He agreed to let her go and she took Jane Doe with her to a convenience store. Once at the store she asked the store manager to contact the police.
Police officers executed a search warrant at Littleton’s residence, where he resided with three adult women, who referred to him as “Master,” in a polygamous BDSM relationship, as well as with Jane Doe and another minor female. Officers seized computers, cameras and digital media. They found 12 video segments on a memory card, some of which appeared to have been filmed in a hotel room between Jan. 18 and March 25, 2013. The videos depicted Littleton engaging in illicit sexual activity with Jane Doe.
In a forensic interview, the child victim reported that Littleton had been molesting her once or twice a week since November 2012. He sometimes promised her food if, or would not allow her to see her friends unless, she engaged in illicit sexual activity.
Littleton has been charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with four counts of deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and four counts of domestic assault.