KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for child sex trafficking and producing child pornography, which was discovered during an investigation into an alleged extortion and blackmail scheme.

Corey M. McKinney, also known as “Chef FireFlame Corey,” 34, of Kansas City, was charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against McKinney on April 8, 2011, and includes additional charges. McKinney remains in federal custody.

Today’s indictment charges McKinney with two counts of producing child pornography, one count of child sex trafficking, one count of extortion and one count of blackmail.

According to the indictment, McKinney trafficked a child victim in prostitution between March 23 and April 7, 2011. On two occasions in March 2011, the indictment alleges, McKinney used the child victim to produce child pornography.

The indictment also alleges that McKinney threatened a victim, identified as John Doe, with the intent to extort something of value from him. McKinney also blackmailed John Doe, the indictment says, by demanding $500 as consideration for not informing law enforcement that John Doe had enticed a minor for sex over the Internet.

According to an affidavit that was filed in support of the original criminal complaint, an informant (who is not identified in the affidavit) contacted law enforcement officers on March 28, 2011, to report a possible extortion attempt against him. The informant told police officers that he was contacted on Facebook by a female who claimed to be 17 years old, and began to chat online with her and exchanged telephone numbers.

The informant and the minor female met at her house and had sexual intercourse, the affidavit says, and they agreed to meet again the next day. When the informant returned the next day and they began to have sexual intercourse, McKinney allegedly entered the room and confronted the informant. McKinney allegedly told the informant that the female was 16 years old, and that their sexual intercourse the previous day had been recorded.

According to the affidavit, McKinney demanded that the informant pay him $400 so that he would not tell the authorities. They walked to an ATM together, the affidavit says, and the informant withdrew $100 and gave it to McKinney. They allegedly arranged to meet at a later date for the rest of the money.

On April 7, 2011, the affidavit says, the informant agreed to meet with McKinney in order to exchange the money for the original video copy of the sexual encounter. The affidavit alleges that McKinney sent a text message to the informant, instructing him to put $500 in a sealed envelope and give the envelope to a security guard at Devry University. After the exchange occurred, the affidavit says, police officers saw McKinney approach the security desk and get the envelope containing the money from the security guard. McKinney was arrested.

When investigators searched the minor’s cell phone, they found several images of child pornography depicting the minor, including sexually explicit photos of McKinney and the minor as well as sexually explicit photos of the informant and the minor.

Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick D. Daly and Cynthia L. Cordes. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department in conjunction with the Human Trafficking Rescue Project.

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