July 28, 2008

Henderson, Ky., man pleads guilty to child pornography charges
More than 1,800 child pornography images identified from the seized materials

OWENSBORO, Ky. - A 45-year-old Henderson man who had more than 1,800 pornographic images of children, including some as young as 2 years old, pleaded guilty Monday to illegally possessing child pornography. This guilty plea resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Kenneth Langston, of 65 N. Bob O Link Rd., Henderson, Ky., pleaded guilty July 28 before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., Western District of Kentucky, to charges of possessing, receiving, and attempting to receive child pornography. Langston admitted that he received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, including transmission over the Internet.

ICE agents executed a search warrant at Langston's residence on Oct. 12, 2007 after determining that he had paid a PayPal account to a website containing child pornography. While executing the search warrant, ICE agents seized three computers, two digital cameras, and six computer flash drives. Langston admitted to agents that he used one of the computers to make online purchases of various software and pornographic sites.

ICE agents conducted a forensic examination of the three computers and flash media items seized from Langston's residence and identified 1,892 child pornographic images. The forensic examination also recovered 28 video files identified as child pornography from a computer flash drive, including an 11-minute video of a young girl about 7 years old engaged in graphic sexual conduct with an adult male.

The maximum potential penalties in this case are 50 years' imprisonment, a $780,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of up to life; the minimum potential penalties are five years' imprisonment and supervised release for five years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Lesousky Jr., Western District of Kentucky, is prosecuting this case.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 11,000 individuals nationwide.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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