OKLAHOMA CITY — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Oklahoma, Western), published as received.

OKLAHOMA CITY – KENNETH LYNCH, 45, of Edmond, has been sentenced to serve 360 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to public records, in October 2024, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that were shared on a chat board on the dark web, a computer network within the internet that is restricted and cannot be accessed by the general public using a standard search engine. HSI agents were able to identify the minor victim in the images and spoke with her the following month. The victim told agents Lynch sexually abused her on multiple occasions and captured the images in question. Edmond police arrested Lynch at his home on January 16, 2025, after executing a search warrant. On Lynch’s phone, law enforcement found some of the CSAM images that started the investigation.

“Through manipulation and coercion, this defendant engaged in abhorrent acts of child exploitation, concealed his crimes in secrecy, and shared his abuse across the dark web,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “The harm he caused will haunt his victim for life.  While no sentence can undo that pain, this punishment stands as a stark warning that those who prey upon our most vulnerable will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable to the fullest measure of justice.”

“This dangerous predator sexually assaulted an innocent child and then published recordings of the abuse to the dark web forcing his victim to relive that horrifying nightmare for the rest of her life knowing those images could still be out there,” said Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners and leveraging our expertise in investigating sophisticated criminal activity on the dark web, our special agents were able to quickly identify Mr. Lynch and remove him from the community to ensure he is no longer a threat to our children.”

On February 20, 2025, a federal Grand Jury charged Lynch with sexual exploitation of a child. Lynch pleaded guilty on May 7, 2025, and admitted he used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing CSAM.

At a sentencing hearing on September 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Lynch to serve 360 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered Lynch to pay restitution in the amount of $32,300. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the extraordinarily egregious conduct of the defendant, the need to “send a message” to others who would consider being involved in similar conduct, and that society will not tolerate this kind of abuse toward children.

This case is the result of an investigation by HSI and the Edmond Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ganz prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.