Sedgwick County man charged in federal child porn case

A Viola man was charged in federal court on Wednesday with producing child pornography, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Ian Nathanial Smith, 20, has been charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography, the release said.

According to investigator’s affidavit, Smith is accused of using social media to communicate with a 14-year-old girl in another state. Smith allegedly asked the girl to send him video of her engaged in sexual activities, the release said.

After searching Smith’s phone, investigators found more than 200 images of child pornography and four videos, the affidavit said. Smith allegedly contacted the girl through the video chat service Skype and the messaging application Kik, the affidavit said.

If convicted, Smith faces between 15 and 30 years in federal prison on the charge of exploiting a minor and up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the possession charge.

The FBI assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County man charged in federal child porn case."