Gainesville man indicted federally on charges including sexual exploitation of children, child porn

Tracy Todd Presson, 53, of Gainesville was indicted in federal court Nov. 8 on five felony charges including two counts of of sexual exploitation of children, coercion or enticement of a female, coercion or enticement of a minor female and activities regarding material constituting or containing child pornography, according to online federal court records.

The case has been assigned to District Judge Roseann Ketchmark and was referred to Magistrate Judge David P. Rush. Presson is represented by Springfield-area attorney Adam D. Woody. The Assistant US Attorney assigned to prosecute the case is Ami Harshad Patel Miller. 

Presson is currently being held in the Ozark County Jail in connection with a locally filed Ozark County case that charges him with two counts of statutory rape, five counts of statutory sodomy and use of a child in a sexual performance. However, a federal document filed Nov. 9, indicates that Presson should be transported to Springfield to appear before a US Magistrate Judge immediately, or anytime the Court directs. The documents says after Presson appears, he can be returned to the custody of the Ozark County warden or directed otherwise by the federal court.

Indictment

The indictment document indicates that a Grand Jury charges that Presson "employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced" two minor girls, referred to as Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2, to engage in sexually explicit content for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that sexual content. The "visual depiction was produced using materials that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in interstate and foreign commerce," the document says. The acts with Jane Doe #1 are said to have occurred as early as May 1, 2013 and the acts with Jane Doe #2 are said to have occurred as early as June 1, 2014. Acts with both girls reportedly continued through Oct. 8, 2018. 

The Grand Jury also charges that Presson coerced or enticed a female and a minor female, by using the internet and a cell phone network to knowingly attempt to pursue, induce and entice Jane Doe #1, who he believed was under the age of 18, and Jane Doe #2, who was under the age of 18, to engage in illegal sexual activity between a person over 21 years of age and another under 17 years of age. 

Finally, the Grand Jury charges that Presson knowingly received and distributed visual depiction of material which involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.