A Lawrenceburg, Kentucky man, Zachary Gage King, aged 24, has been sentenced to 151 months in prison for receiving child pornography. U.S. District Judge Gregory VanTatenhove delivered the sentence on Monday.
According to the plea agreement, law enforcement received information about King's attempts to access child pornography materials, leading to a search warrant for his residence. King admitted to using various online platforms to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material. A forensic examination of his electronic devices revealed over 7,400 images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit activity.
Under federal law, King is required to serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Following his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 40 years.
The sentencing was announced by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Mike Coyle from Madison County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation involved HSI, the Kentucky State Police (KSP), and Madison County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project coordinates resources from federal, state, and local levels to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.