Springfield Man Charged with Producing Child Pornography, Sexually Abusing Three Teens

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, man has been charged in federal court with sexually assaulting three teenagers and recording the abuse on his cell phone.

William Shane Berg, 47, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield on Wednesday, May 6, with one count of producing child pornography.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, law enforcement officers confronted Berg on April 12 regarding allegations that he had been sexually assaulting three teenagers – ages 15, 17, and 19 – for several years. One of the child victims also told investigators that Berg gave him marijuana and acid to facilitate the sexual abuse.

Investigators found images of the sexual abuse on Berg’s cell phone and laptop computer, the affidavit says.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge 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. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the FBI and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.