A  Rocheport couple already facing a slew of state charges for child sex crimes was indicted by a federal grand jury last week for victimizing three children to produce child pornography.

Jeremy James Cudney, 34, and his wife, Cassandra Elaine Cudney, 34, last week were charged in an eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City.

The indictment alleges that Jeremy and Cassandra Cudney participated in a conspiracy to produce child pornography from August 25, 2019, to April 25, 2022. They are also charged together in three counts of producing child pornography involving two child victims, one of whom was under the age of 12 and two of whom were under the age of 16. 

In addition, Jeremy Cudney is charged with one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. Cassandra Cudney is also charged with one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa A. Pierce and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Missouri State Technical Assistance Team (STAT), and the Howard County Sheriff’s Department.

The Cudneys were arrested on April 25, 2022, and ordered to be held without bond, charged with rape and child endangerment.

Jeremy Cudney faces a slew of state charges, including four counts of first-degree rape; several counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, three of which involve drugs; first-degree sodomy; eight charges of possession of child pornography; and three charges involving drugs and drug paraphernalia. He remains in the Howard County Jail without bond. 

Casandra Cudney faces 21 state charges, including five counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, three of which involve drugs and three different children under the age of 17, and two involving sexual contact; four counts of first-degree rape; one count of sodomy; eight charges of possession of child pornography; one charge of drug possession; and two charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. She is currently being held without bond in Randolph County.

Mrs. Cudney allegedly admitted her culpability in several of the charges, according to a motion to sever filed in February 2024 by her previous attorney, public defender Robert Fleming.

A trial for both on the state charges begins on February 19, 2025, in Howard County Court.

Mrs. Cudney’s attorney, public defender Aaron Rowley, has requested bond be set at $10,000. A bond hearing was scheduled for October 10 in Chariton County. While no docket entries have been filed regarding the bond hearing, a cash-only bond amount of $25,000 is listed on the Randolph County Jail inmate roster.

According to a probable cause statement filed by the STAT on April 25, 2022, a victim told officers that starting in August 2021, she had been raped by Jeremy Cudney, her uncle, on several occasions when Cassandra was away from the house. She was often tied up with ropes and at least once was forced to drink water containing a muscle relaxer. 

When officers searched the locations where the alleged crimes took place, near the intersection of Highway 40 and County Road 433 in southern Howard County, they found ropes attached to the bedroom ceilings and walls, along with cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxer.

The court sealed a probable cause statement for Cassandra Cudney.