Joplin man who paid underage Webb City boys to masturbate on video pleads guilty to federal child pornography charges

A Joplin man who paid underage Webb City boys to allow him to make videos of them masturbating pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges Wednesday.

During an 11-minute hearing in U. S. District Court in Springfield, James Loyd Wainright, 39, pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography.

Judge David P. Rush ordered a presentencing investigation. No date has been set for sentencing.

Wainright faces a sentence of no less than five years and no more than 20 years.

The Joplin man was initially arrested following an investigation by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Joplin and Webb City police departments.