A Las Vegas man, Kenton Hardy King, has been sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey for charges including coercion and enticement, child sexual exploitation, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Court documents reveal that King, aged 29, met a 15-year-old through the online chat platform Omegle. In June 2020, he coerced the victim into engaging in sexual activity and producing sexually explicit material. King also possessed CSAM on two cell phones and threatened to distribute images and videos of the victim to her family, friends, and schoolmates.
In June 2024, after a five-day trial, a jury found King guilty on counts of coercion and enticement; sexual exploitation of children; and possession of child pornography.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada along with Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Henderson Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Rose and Jean Ripley.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. It involves federal, state, and local resources aimed at prosecuting offenders who exploit children via the internet while identifying victims for rescue.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood or to report suspected child sexual exploitation, individuals can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit https://report.cybertip.org.