Branson-area husband and wife accused of sexually abusing kids younger than 5
A husband and wife from the Branson area are facing federal charges after authorities say they admitted to sexually abusing children younger than 5 and recording the acts on their phones.
Mark Millman, 36, and his wife Tara Millman, 41, were charged in a criminal complaint Friday with federal charges related to producing child pornography.
According to court documents, the Millmans first got on the radar of federal authorities this summer when investigators traced back to them some messages that had been posted to an online chat room where users shared images of child porn.
Then on Thursday, law enforcement officers with Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force served a search warrant at the Millmans' home in Merriam Woods.
Court documents say Mark Millman initially denied being involved in child pornography, but later admitted that he and his wife regularly seek it out on the internet.
Mark Millman told authorities that he and his wife had performed sex acts on two children younger than 5 while recording the activity on their phones, according to court documents.
Tara Millman also allegedly admitted that she and her husband had recorded each other sexually abusing a child.
Mark and Tara Millman were being held in the Greene County Jail on Friday. They did not have attorneys listed for this case.
The website for Chateau on the Lake Resort Spa and Convention Center lists Mark Millman as the executive chef. He has made several local TV show appearances to promote the business.
Jon Davidson, general manager at Chateau on the Lake, declined to comment in detail about Mark Millman's arrest, saying the company was waiting on official details of the arrest to be provided to them.