Larue County, Kentucky, Resident Sentenced To 78 Months In Prison And Ten Years Of Supervised Release For Receipt And Possession Of Child Pornography

Ordered to pay restitution to nine identified victims

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., announced today that a Larue County, Kentucky resident was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court by Senior Judge Charles R. Simpson, III, to 78 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release. The Court further ordered Benjamin Boyd of Hodgenville, Kentucky to pay $65,000 in restitution to be divided between nine identified victims, after he pleaded guilty to receipt and possession of child pornography.

“Receipt and possession of child pornography are not victimless crimes,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Every image and every video in this case document a horrific moment of pain and damage inflicted upon an innocent and defenseless child. Circulating and viewing these images simply perpetuate the damage and pain for the victims. Mr. Boyd’s lengthy sentence and the substantial award for restitution to be paid to these victims is a just and appropriate outcome.”

According to the factual basis of the plea agreement, Benjamin Boyd, admitted to receiving and possessing 3,595 images and 2,778 videos of child pornography.

On August 29, 2015, an investigator with Kentucky Office of the Attorney General used

a peer-to-peer program to download 8 files of child pornography from a specific IP address.

That IP address was tracked to Benjamin Boyd of Hodgenville.

Investigators with the Attorney General’s office served a search warrant on Boyd’s residence, on October 15, 2015, and seized numerous electronic storage devices containing child pornography. A forensic review of the electronic devices revealed images and videos of child pornography. The collection contained images of prepubescent children and sadomasochistic conduct. The forensic report also revealed numerous dates and times that Boyd downloaded child pornography via the peer-to-peer program. The downloads occurred on dates ranging from May 4, 2014, through September 9, 2015.

Assistant United States Attorney A. Spencer McKiness prosecuted the case. The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab resources.