CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo (News First) – A man from southeast Missouri man has admitted to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says 40-year-old Justin Wade Welker, 40 pleaded guilty in U.S District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted to receiving and viewing child sex abuse material, including pictures and videos on his phone.
The investigation began when the FBI office in Detroit alerted their counterparts in St. Louis that two people were discussing engaging in sex acts with a minor on the Kik messaging and chat app. The FBI had traced one of the participants to Welker’s home in the Village of Sedgewickville in Bollinger County. FBI agents approached Welker at work and he admitted to viewing the child porn. Welker will be sentenced on November 12th. He could get anywhere from 5 to 20 years in prison.
