Yolo County Kidnapping Subject Pleads Guilty To Distribution Of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Kyle Michael Hall, 24, of Woodland, pleaded guilty today to distribution of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to the plea agreement filed in the case, on November 28, 2012, Hall was arrested after attempting to force a woman into his truck that was parked in a Raley’s parking lot in Woodland. Hall was a transient living out of his truck in the Woodland area. Upon his arrest, Hall turned his personal property over to a friend.

The next day, Hall’s friend brought Hall’s computer to the Woodland police station. He said that he had been looking through it and found some “disgusting” things. Located on the computer were approximately 108 images and 115 videos of child pornography. In addition, forensic analysts with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office located multiple instant messages on the computer. In these messages, Hall discussed child pornography and traded images and videos.

The computer forensic analysis also identified multiple Skype chats in which Hall spoke with minors about sexually explicit topics. In one exchange with a 17-year-old from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Hall asked if he could drive to New Mexico to pick up the girl. In other chats, Hall offered money to minors in an attempt to entice them into sending him sexually explicit photos or videos.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Woodland Police Department and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle Reardon and Olusere Olowoyeye are prosecuting the case.

Hall is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lawrence K. Karlton on May 20, 2014. Hall faces a penalty of five to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing Project Safe Childhood initiative which was launched to increase federal prosecutions of sexual predators of children, and to reduce the number of Internet crimes against children including child pornography trafficking. As a part of PSC, the United States Attorney’s Office has teamed with state and local agencies and organizations to increase law enforcement presence on the Internet, and to educate the public about safe Internet use, thereby reducing the risk that children might fall prey to online sexual predators. For additional information on the PSC initiative, please go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.