by Brandy Bourland, St. Clair County Courier

An El Dorado Springs woman was indicted this week by a federal grand jury for producing child pornography.

According to a news release form the United States Attorney General’s Office on May 7, Amanda Errin Hunt, 39, El Dorado Springs, and Daniel Thomas Baggot, 36, Plainfield, NJ, were charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield for producing child pornography.

The indictment replaced a federal criminal complaint that was filed on April 11. Hunt and Baggott remain in federal custody.

The federal indictment charges Hunt and Baggott with one count each of using a child victim to produce child pornography from Aug. 5, 2017, to April 9, 2019. The indictment also charges each of the defendants with one count of using a cell phone to induce the child victim to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the investigation began when Facebook initiated a CyberTip with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 7. Facebook reported that Hunt and Baggott exchanged images of child pornography through Facebook Messenger. Investigators discovered sexually explicit messages along with shared images of child pornography, between Hunt, Baggott and the 15-year-old victim. Hunt told investigators that Baggott was her boyfriend.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE’s) Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), the Southwest Missouri Cybercrime Task Force and the New Jersey internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Used with permission.