KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Lee’s Summit man was sentenced in federal court Aug. 6 for a sextortion scheme in which he threatened victims, including minors, to extort them into sending him pornographic images and videos of themselves following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City investigation.
Marek Redding, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Redding to 25 years of supervised release following incarceration. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
“Justice prevailed as the federal court sentenced Redding, who preyed upon victims in a horrific sextortion scheme,” said HSI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito. “HSI commends the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners in bringing this criminal to justice. Let this sentence serve as a resolute warning to those who exploit and victimize others: You will be held accountable, and our commitment to safeguarding our communities remains steadfast.”
On April 9, Redding pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, and one count of extortion.
Redding, using a fake female persona on the Snapchat application, received nude photographs from multiple females, including minors. According to court documents, some victims reported that Redding threatened to distribute or publicly post their images if they did not continue sending nude images, some of which constituted child sexual abuse material.
Redding admitted that he induced two minor victims to produce child sexual abuse material in January and March 2022, and that he distributed the child sexual abuse material. Redding also admitted that he transmitted threats to injure the reputation of an adult victim in April 2022 in order to obtain more photographs from the victim.
According to court documents, the adult victim told investigators she had sent nude images to Redding. When she attempted to stop, Redding threatened to disclose her images to her family, school and employer.
This case was investigated by HSI; the Lee’s Summit Police Department; the Grain Valley, Missouri, Police Department; the Olathe, Kansas, Police Department and the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Together with partners in law enforcement, state and local government, international counterparts and nongovernmental organizations, the HSI workforce does heroic work to prevent these crimes, support those who are impacted by them, and hold perpetrators accountable.
HSI offers multiple options for virtual and in-person trainings to educate the public about the growing threats children and teens face online.
Learn more about HSI Kansas City’s mission to eradicate child exploitation on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSIKansasCity.