Shaun Walker, 41, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet.
Walker entered the plea to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough in Kansas City on Oct. 11, according to a new release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Formerly of Lenexa, Kansas, Walker entered a secure area of the U.S. Department of Energy National Security Campus in Kansas City with his personal cell phone on Nov. 29, 2021. He entered the site as a Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technology employee contracted by the Nuclear National Security Administration.
Walker self-reported the violation and gave his phone to security personnel, according to the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. In determining if classified material was present on the phone, a security officer found images and videos of child pornography. Walker's phone was then seized for a forensic examination.
The case was investigated by the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General.
Further review by investigators found images and video of a 5-year-old girl, dozens of other images and videos of child pornography, and thousands of WhatsApp chats in which Walker requested images and videos of underage girls conducting sexual acts, which Walker received and distributed, according to the release.
Walker is subject to a minimum sentence of 5 years in federal prison without parole, and up to 20 years in prison without parole. A presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office will happen before Walker's sentencing hearing.