Show-Me State Times

A Jefferson County, Missouri man admitted on Thursday to exchanging items such as drugs and vape cartridges with an underage girl in exchange for sexual activity.

Kody L. Willyard, 32, of Barnhart, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor. He acknowledged providing marijuana, alcohol, vaping devices, and vape cartridges to a girl when she was 14 and 15 years old in return for sexual acts.

The victim’s father discovered Willyard’s actions by reviewing the victim’s social media and digital communications before contacting law enforcement. The victim informed authorities that Willyard had also given items of value to another girl in exchange for sexual acts.

At Willyard’s sentencing, scheduled for September, both his lawyer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will recommend a 15-year prison term. The crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.

The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet while identifying and rescuing victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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