Fayette County Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Child Pornography Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Fayette County man was sentenced to 60 months in prison for distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, on December 3, 2015, Eddie McKinney, 33, of Mt. Hope, distributed child pornography using peer-to-peer file sharing software on his computer. He also admitted that he knowingly possessed and distributed to others images depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On March 23, 2016, law enforcement officers recovered hundreds of images of child pornography, including prepubescent child pornography, from his home. McKinney pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White handled the prosecution.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. 

These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00142.

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