United States Attorney David Capp

Northern District of Indiana

M01-204 S. Main Street

South Bend, Indiana 46601

Hammond South Bend Fort Wayne

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mary L. Hatton

July 24, 2012 PHONE: (219) 937-5500

www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/ Fax: (219) 852-2770

MAN SENTENCED IN CHILD PROSTITUTION CASE

South Bend, Indiana -- The United States Attorney’s Office announced that:

Kenneth Tyler, 31, of Buchanan, Michigan, was sentenced by Judge Robert Miller, Jr., to 46 months imprisonment, a $5000.00 fine and 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

According to the Complaint Affidavit filed in this case, a task force consisting of officers from the Indiana State Police, St. Joseph County Police Department, and United States Secret Service placed an advertisement on an online classified service advertising minor females that were available for sex. Tyler responded to the online advertisement within minutes of it being posted in the “casual encounters” section of Craig’s List. Tyler was informed that an 8 year old and a 15 year old female were available for sex. He indicated that he was interested but rejected the 8 year old girl because of the cost. Tyler arrived at the South Bend location agreed upon in the e-mail exchange, exited his vehicle and paid the undercover officer what had been agreed upon and was taken into custody. In plain sight on the front seat of his truck were an opened box of prophylactics and sexual enhancement pills.

This case was the result of an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the United States Secret Service, the St, Joseph County Police and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Maciejczyk.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.