A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for secretly recording his girlfriend’s young daughter to produce child pornography.
Jeffrey Lyons, 33, started taking nude photos and videos of his girlfriend’s daughter in 2018, when the girl was 9, according to court documents. Lyons lived with his girlfriend and the young girl at the time and made the recordings through a crack in the bathroom door.
Lyons’ girlfriend found an image of her daughter in the shower on his phone in 2019 and confronted him about it. She didn’t report him to police because Lyons told her she would be held liable and face criminal charges, despite not being involved in the crime, court documents said.
In 2021, Lyons’ family members were aware of his actions and hoped counseling services would help him.
Lyons placed a hidden camera in the bathroom to make more recordings of his girlfriend’s daughter in 2022.
“Children are innocent, defenseless and rely on responsible adults to advocate on their behalf and shield them from predators,” U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said in a press release. “If you become aware of child abuse, you have an ethical obligation to contact law enforcement immediately.
“It doesn’t matter if the perpetrator is a friend or a relative. The victim’s welfare should always be the highest priority.”
Lyons’ brother finally reported him to law enforcement in October 2023. Investigators discovered several videos of the young girl and screenshots from the videos on his phone. They also found 900 inappropriate images of the girl while she was clothed and more than 2,800 pornographic photos and videos of other children.
Lyons pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and will serve 22 years in prison followed by 12 years of supervised release.
“Mr. Lyons’ actions were both abhorrent and stomach-churning,” FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod said in the press release. “The sentence ensures that a dangerous predator spends more than two decades behind bars and an additional 12 years of supervised release.
“The FBI remains committed to finding and bringing to justice anyone who dares to exploit or harm children.”
