CAPE GIRARDEAU – A 40-year-old southeast Missouri man has admitted receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Justin Wade Welker of Sedgewickville pleaded guilty in U.S District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted receiving and viewing child sex abuse material, including pictures and videos, on his phone.
The investigation began when the FBI office in Detroit alerted their counterparts in St. Louis that two people were discussing engaging in sex acts with a minor on the Kik messaging and chat app. The FBI had traced one of the participants to Welker’s home, in Bollinger County, Missouri. FBI agents approached Welker at work, and he admitted viewing child pornography via Kik.
Welker is scheduled to be sentenced November 12. The charge carries a penalty of five to 20 years in prison.
The FBI and the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.