The abuse images collected by the defendant included images and videos depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence against children.
INDIANAPOLIS – Kenneth Walden, 43, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a suspect had stored child sex abuse material in a Google Photos account connected to his Google and iCloud accounts. Further investigation revealed that the account belonged to Kenneth Walden, who was a registered sex offender.
Investigators discovered that between January 2021, and March 5, 2021, Walden uploaded child sex abuse material to his Google account. Most of the files depicted prepubescent males, some as young as 10- to 12-years old, engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including sexual intercourse. The abuse images collected by the defendant included images and videos depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence against children.
Law enforcement agents searched Walden’s Google account and residence and found more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material in his iPhone and on a SIM card.
At the time of his arrest, Walden was a registered sex offender and had a lengthy criminal history involving sexual misconduct against a child and registration offenses:
- On October 20, 2000, he was convicted in St. Joseph County, Michigan, for Criminal Sexual Conduct 2nd degree, victim under 13, and sentenced to a year in prison.
- On October 2, 2007, he was convicted of being a Child Sex Offender at a public park in Richland County, Illinois, and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
- On August 23, 2011, he was convicted of Failing to Report as Sex Offender in Jasper County, Illinois and sentenced to two years in prison.
“This defendant’s choice to seek and collect images of the horrific sexual abuse of children is shocking, but not surprising. For years, this sex offender demonstrated his sexual interest in children and willingness to flout the laws designed to make our communities safer from predators like him,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Trafficking in these images online furthers the abuse inflicted on innocent children and fuels the desires of criminals with sexual interests in children. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that our office is committed to working with all law enforcement agencies to protect our children from those who desire to exploit their trauma for their own sick gratification.”
U.S. Secret Service in partnership with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Walden be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for life following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted this case.
This investigation was conducted by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a multiagency task force led by the Indiana State Police that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse. Visit https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/ to learn more about their efforts.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
Join the conversation!