Kenneth Koegel, Jr., a 40-year-old resident of Baldwinsville, New York, has been sentenced to 45 years in federal prison. The sentence follows his guilty plea to multiple charges including seven counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of receipt of child pornography. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge at the Albany Field Office of the FBI.
Koegel's prior conviction dates back to 2004 when he was found guilty in Monroe County Court for first-degree sexual abuse after exposing himself to a young girl and making inappropriate contact. This conviction required him to register as a sex offender. He later admitted that from around 2014 until October 2022, he sexually abused another girl starting when she was about two years old until she was approximately nine. During this period, Koegel produced explicit images and videos documenting the abuse and distributed these materials through social messaging applications.
In addition to his prison term and lifetime supervised release, Koegel has been ordered by the district court to pay $12,000 in restitution along with a $1,000 special assessment fee. Upon his release from prison, he will be required to register again as a sex offender.
The investigation into Koegel's activities was conducted by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. This task force includes FBI Special Agents alongside state and local police investigators such as those from the New York State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adrian S. LaRochelle prosecuted the case under Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It coordinates resources across federal, state, and local levels to apprehend offenders exploiting children online while also identifying victims for rescue efforts.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.