Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison

FORT WAYNE – Benjamin Durnell, 39 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady, after pleading guilty to distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Durnell was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in May 2019, an FBI undercover employee, using a social media mobile messaging service, began texting with an individual who expressed a sexual interest in juvenile males. During the course of their conversations, the male, later identified as Durnell, sent the undercover two still images and six videos of males engaged in intercourse with juvenile males. Durnell also expressed an interest in engaging in the same conduct with juvenile males. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.

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