Jason T. Bernard, 53, a former sales manager at Macadoodles in Springfield, pleaded guilty to federal charges of sex crimes involving children.
Bernard was also a part-time sports talk radio host with Art Hains on “Sports Talk,” an afternoon show on Springfield's Jock 96.9 FM.
Bernard was arrested in May 2022 and since then has been held without bond in the Greene County Jail. He awaits sentencing.
In the plea agreement dated Sept. 13, 2023, Bernard pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of coercion and enticement, and one count of receiving child pornography.
According to federal court documents, a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina sent Bernard nude images and videos of herself for money. The victim told investigators she had been truthful with Bernard and told him she was under the age of 18.
Victim said Bernard paid her for videos
“Jane Doe said Bernard was the person who got her started recording herself doing sexual acts because he would pay her for the videos,” the charging documents read. “Jane Doe said she was 13 years old when she began communicating with Bernard.”
The girl told police in North Carolina that Bernard would pay her $250 a week and would “pay more on occasion depending on what she did for him.”
The victim told investigators Bernard paid her more than $3,000 through Cash App, a mobile application that allows users to transfer money using smartphones. She said Bernard also sent her alcohol and sex toys for her to use in videos that she would then send to Bernard.
A forensic analysis of Bernard’s phone found 510 still images and 1,151 videos depicting child pornography.
According to the plea agreement, Bernard admitted to having conversations with the victim about her traveling to Missouri to meet for sex, offered her money for this potential meeting and had conversations with her about purchasing either a plane ticket or a bus ticket to facilitate her travel to Missouri.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Bernard faces 15 to 30 years in a federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, 10 years to life in prison for the coercion and enticement charge, and 5 to 20 years in prison for receiving child pornography.
Bernard's sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
