Diamond man sentenced to life in prison for sexually exploiting a child

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Diamond, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of a child.

Terry Lee Miksell, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Thursday, Oct. 20, to life in federal prison without parole.

On March 29, 2022, Miksell was found guilty at trial of one count of producing child pornography and one count of using the internet and a cell phone to induce a child to engage in sexual activity.

At the time of the offense, Miksell was employed as a counselor at a Purdy, Mo., drug treatment facility and in a trusted position with the victim and her family.

Facebook initiated two CyberTips in September 2019 after locating sexually explicit messages and images between Miksell and a 16-year-old victim. Miksell asked the child victim in Facebook Messenger chats to send him sexually explicit images and videos. She told investigators she sent those images and videos at his request but often was reluctant to engage with the sexually explicit messages and felt bad about it. At one point she refused to send an image and Miksell used manipulation tactics to get her to continue to engage and send those images. Miksell also sent pornographic pictures of himself to the child victim.

Officers executed a search warrant at Miksell’s residence on Jan. 16, 2020, and seized several devices, including a cell phone. The cell phone contained a pornographic video of the child victim.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James J. Kelleher, Stephanie Wan, and Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.