Jury Convicts Las Vegas Man Of Crimes Including Coercion And Enticement, Child Sexual Exploitation, And Possession Of Child Pornography

LAS VEGAS - A federal jury convicted a Las Vegas resident yesterday of coercion and enticement, child sexual exploitation, and possession of child pornography.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between June 2, 2020, and June 3, 2020, Kenton Hardy King (29), met a child through the anonymous online chat platform Omegle. He coerced and enticed the victim to engage in sexual activity and to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing sexual images. Furthermore, King possessed child sexual abuse material on two of his cell phones.

Following a five-day trial, the jury convicted King of one count each of coercion and enticement; sexual exploitation of children; and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on September 23, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.

The FBI and the Henderson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Rose and Jean Ripley are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

###