By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A 35-year-old St. Joseph man who shared online child pornography of three victims has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors in Kansas City say Tyler Wirth will spend the rest of his life on supervised release after he serves his prison sentence. Wirth has also been ordered to pay $14,381 in restitution to his victims.
Wirth pleaded guilty a year ago to one count of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. Wirth confessed to producing pornographic images of three children and distributing them on the Kik application.
Federal District Judge Gary Fenner sentenced Wirth to 23 years in prison without parole. Wirth also will be required to register as a sex offender.
Wirth admitted he communicated extensively with others over the Kik application, expressing a desire to sexually abuse children. Federal prosecutors accuse Wirth of participating in chat rooms and engaging in private communications, asking for advice on how to go about sexually abusing children.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Wirth’s residence in August of 2020, seizing his cell phone and electronic media. Investigators found hundreds of videos and images of child pornography.
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