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An Evansville sex offender will serve more than 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of sexually explicit material involving minors, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced this week.
U.S. District Judge Richard Young sentenced Casey Lee Smith, 48, to 17-and-a-half years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release for his crimes.
“This dangerous criminal used Kik to share the horrific abuse of the most vulnerable victims,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, in a news release. “Those who gather online to revel in the exploitation of children will be identified and prosecuted. I am grateful to the FBI and the Evansville Police Department for their work to ensure that this defendant will serve a significant prison sentence, where our children will be out of his reach.”
According to court documents, in January 2022, the Evansville Police Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that 16 files containing child sexual abuse material had been uploaded by Smith to Kik, an instant messaging app.
The files included depictions of minors and sadistic or masochistic conduct, according to court documents.
Investigators searched Smith’s cellphone and recovered 95 photos and videos of child sexual abuse materials that had been accessed and viewed by Smith, court documents state. They also found his Kik messaging app, which Smith allegedly did not disclose in the sex offender registration information he’s required to update each year.
Smith has been a registered sex offender since 2003 after he was convicted of felony child exploitation and possession of child pornography.
The case is United States of America v. Casey Lee Smith, 3:23-cr-6.
The FBI and Evansville Police Department investigated the case.
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