The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Mykayliah Hevener, a 26-year-old from Carbondale, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 27 years in prison. The sentencing by United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley took place on January 30, 2025. Hevener was convicted for producing child pornography.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that during a nine-month period in 2023, Hevener engaged in sexual contact with a toddler and created images and videos of child pornography. These materials were either streamed live or sent over the internet to her co-conspirator, Benjamin Egli from Iowa. Egli is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa and has entered a guilty plea; he is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Tipton, Iowa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti led the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children and to rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.