A Kansas man has been sentenced to 151 months in prison for his role in distributing child exploitation sexual abuse materials, according to federal authorities. Zachary Charles Hiskey, 27, from Hutchinson, admitted guilt to one count of distributing child pornography.
Court documents revealed that in June 2021, Hiskey used the messaging app Kik to disseminate videos showing adult males involved in sexually explicit activities with prepubescent children. Kik's detection systems identified the content and notified law enforcement through a cyber tipline, leading to further discoveries of illicit materials linked to Hiskey's email account and home IP logs.
During a search of Hiskey's residence, authorities found an electronic device with recently accessed child exploitation materials. A forensic investigation showed that the specific Kik account had been both installed and subsequently deleted from his cell phone.
The FBI conducted the investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart.
The case forms part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to address the increasing issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This program coordinates resources from federal, state, and local levels to apprehend and prosecute offenders and to aid victims of child exploitation. More details are available at https://www.justice.gov/psc.