Franklin County Man Sentenced To 225 Months In Prison For Producing Child Pornography

A Franklin County man was sentenced Oct. 13 to 225 months in prison for attempting to produce child pornography and production of child pornography.

Michael Anthony Robinson, 36, Union, entered a guilty plea July 21 in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri.

Judge Henry Edward Autrey sentenced Robinson, who was indicted in December 2020. He will serve more than 18 years in prison.

Robinson was investigated by the Franklin County Cyber Crime Task Force.

According to Sheriff Steven Pelton, law enforcement was contacted in June 2019 after a citizen reported finding a video of a female minor in a closet area changing her clothes after taking a shower.

The video was on a SD card, which was turned over to law enforcement.

The task force obtained a search warrant and found that the male placed a video camera into a closet before the female entered. The victim removed her towel and was fully nude. She got dressed and left the closet, then the male -- identified as Robinson -- went into the closet and retrieved the camera.

The Department of Family Services was contacted and the victim was removed from the home.

In July 2020, a different reporting party was with Robinson at Wal-Mart in Union. The party went to the vehicle earlier than Robinson and noticed flash drives in the center console.

The reporting party was unaware of the June 2019 accusations and took the flash drives. At home, he examined the contents and found 30 video files containing a minor female in a bathroom where she was partially undressed or nude.

The files were turned over to law enforcement.

The task force obtained a search warrant and found the victim was the same as the one from June 2019.

The videos had been created in 2016, 2017 and 2018. 

Robinson was indicted by the United States Attorney’s office on Dec. 10, 2020.