Officials with the U-S Department of Justice (DOJ) report an eastern Iowa man pleaded guilty Monday in Massachusetts, to federal child exploitation charges. The plea by 32-year old Joshua Dunfee, of Oxford Junction, came just moments before his jury trial was scheduled to begin Monday morning. Dunfee plead guilty to the coercion and enticement of a child to engage in illicit sexual activity and the sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for June 27th, 2014.

Officials say Dunfee posed as man by the name of “John” from “Hunt Photography” on Facebook, and communicated with a Massachusetts mother who was seeking employment as a model and believed Hunt Photography to be a legitimate business.   In October 2011, Dunfee contacted the mother and told her that Hunt Photography had a client willing to pay $20,000 for a mother-daughter bikini modeling contract.   Dunfee told the mother that in order to apply she would need to audition her daughter for him immediately and persuaded the mother to take her minor daughter out of school.

At Dunfee’s further direction, the mother placed her daughter on webcam for him to view for a 48-minute video call.   During this time, Dunfee was able to see and hear the mother and her minor daughter, but they were unable to see or hear him.During the “audition,” Dunfee directed via instant messenger that the minor be posed for him—first in a bra and underwear and then completely naked. Dunfee knew that the girl was a minor.

On Nov. 3, 2011, federal agents executed a search warrant at Dunfee’s residence, where law enforcement had traced the illicit conduct via IP address records.   A forensic examination of Dunfee’s computers (obtained during the execution of the search warrant) revealed various activities consistent with the use of certain platforms to communicate while posing as Hunt Photography, including Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger Chat.

 
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative created by the Department of Justice in 2006 that is designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.