Press Release

Missouri Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child While in Vernon County Jail

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Wife Also Admitted to Sexual Exploitation of Two Child Victims

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Missouri man, who was an inmate at the Vernon County, Mo., jail at the time of his offense, was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a child.

Houston Wade Young, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to life in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 30, 2024, Houston Young pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor. His wife, co-defendant Jessica Ann Young, 33, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty on March 11, 2024, to two counts of the sexual exploitation of a minor and awaits sentencing.

On March 5, 2020, Houston Young, while an inmate at the Vernon County jail, was found to be in possession of a cell phone that contained images of child pornography. Young was being detained pending a civil proceeding to determine whether he should be civilly committed as a sexually violent predator for his prior sex offense convictions.

On March 7, 2020, law enforcement officers received information that Jessica Young had sent pornographic images of a 7-year-old child (identified in court documents as “John Doe 1”) to Houston Young’s cell phone. Investigators found text messages on the cell phone between Jessica and Houston Young that discussed sexually abusing John Doe 1. During the text messages, Jessica Young sent Houston Young two pornographic images of John Doe 1. Multiple other images of child pornography sent by Jessica Young also were found on Houston Young’s cell phone.

Jessica Young admitted she had sexually abused two child victims, John Doe 1 and 13-year-old John Doe 2, on multiple occasions. Jessica Young also admitted that she had recorded video of herself sexually abusing John Doe 2.

A forensic analysis of Houston Young’s cell phone also determined that he sent images of child pornography to Jessica Young and a 16-year-old child victim (identified in court documents as “Jane Doe”). Houston Young sent pornographic images of himself to Jane Doe, solicited child pornographic images of her that she sent to him, and engaged in sexual conversations. Jane Doe told investigators she met Houston Young on a game room chat, League of Legends, and started talking via that forum. They communicated via text, the Kik and Whatsapp applications, and video chat.

Houston Young was involuntarily committed to the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s Sex Offender Rehabilitation and Treatment Services program in February 2021. He has two prior felony convictions related to the sexual exploitation of children. He was convicted of child molestation in Wright County, Mo., in 2005 and of possessing child pornography in Jackson County, Mo., in 2016.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Investigations.

Project Safe Childhood

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 United States Attorneys' 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."