WICHITA — A Rice County man has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Tuesday.

Frank Jeffery Filipi, 52, of Lyons, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wichita to one count of distributing child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of attempting to send obscene material to a minor. In his plea, he admitted that from October 2009 to January 2010 he communicated via Yahoo! Messenger with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl named Abby who was living in Ohio. In fact, Filpi’s messages were going to a detective with the police department in Creston, Ohio. In messages to Abby, Filipi talked about various sexual acts he would like to perform with her. He sent Abby child pornography and he transmitted webcam live streaming video of himself masturbating.

The detective in Ohio contacted the Wichita Police Department and the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. A Wichita police detective posing as a 14-year-old girl named Paige contacted Filipi. Filipi sent messages to Paige talking about sex acts, as well as still and video child pornography. On Nov. 2, 2009, he transmitted live streaming video of himself masturbating.

On Jan. 10, 2010, investigators served a search warrant at Filipi’s home in Lyons and seized his computer and a thumb drive, which contained child pornography.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 15. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 90 months (7.5 years) in federal prison.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.