Wood County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Wood County man pled guilty today to child pornography crimes, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Nathan Kelley entered his guilty plea to one count of distribution or attempted distribution of child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. Stuart commended the investigative work of the Parkersburg Police Department and the West Virginia State Police. 

“The sexual exploitation of children is disgusting,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Protecting our most vulnerable is my top priority and these horrific crimes will not be tolerated.  Child sex offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Kelley admitted to using his phone to send images depicting child pornography through Twitter to another person on November 18, 2017, at his residence in Wood County. He also admitted to possessing about 220 images and one video depicting child pornography on December 27, 2017, also at his residence in Wood County.  He indicated that he acquired all of the images and the video from the Internet and stored them on his phone in an app called Keepsafe.  Many of the images involved prepubescent children being subjected to sexually explicit conduct.

Kelley faces at least 5 and up to 40 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on December 18, 2018.  He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Emily Wasserman are handling the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.

This case was 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.

Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart 

 
###