Sex Offender Dennis Bruce Bean Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Pornography

KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for sharing child pornography over the internet and possessing more than 1,000 images and videos of child pornography.

Dennis Bruce Bean II, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Bean to serve 15 years of supervised release following incarceration and to pay $16,000 in restitution to his victims. Bean has been in federal custody since his arrest.

On July 17, 2024, Bean pleaded guilty to one count of transporting child pornography across state lines and one count of possessing child pornography. Bean has a prior felony conviction for criminal sexual conduct and has been required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received three CyberTipline reports associated with Bean. In one of those reports, Google reported on Jan. 31, 2024, that approximately 1,442 files of child pornography had been uploaded to Bean’s Google Photos account during the prior two months.

On April 5, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bean’s residence. Bean was arrested after he was found hiding in the back yard. Officers seized two cell phones and a one terabyte thumb drive. Investigators found at least 100 images and videos of child sexual abuse or child erotica on the phones. The thumb drive had more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse and child erotica.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.