A woman from Louisiana has admitted guilt in a case related to receiving child sexual abuse material. Hannah Kinchen, aged 40, from Gonzales, coordinated with a photographer to conduct a series of photoshoots for a minor's modeling career. As per court documents, the photographer self-identified as a "pedophile." During these sessions, Kinchen permitted and facilitated the minor to pose in revealing outfits, including thongs and G-strings. The images, many of which qualified as child pornography, were shared with Kinchen through an online file-sharing platform, with some images subsequently sold.
Kinchen has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography and is awaiting sentencing on July 15. She faces a potential prison sentence ranging from a minimum of five years to a maximum of 20 years, with the final judgment to consider U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This announcement was made by Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; April M. Leon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana; and Jonathan Tapp, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New Orleans Field Division.
Investigation efforts were led by the FBI New Orleans Division - Baton Rouge Resident Agency. The case prosecution is being handled by Rachel L. Rothberg from the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Kristen L. Craig, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, with significant contributions from CEOS Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz.
This case forms part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice established in May 2006 to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse. It brings together various resources at the federal, state, and local levels to find, apprehend, and prosecute those who victimize children through the internet, aiming to identify and rescue the victims. Additional details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.