Evansville Sex Offender to Spend 17.5 Years in Federal Prison for Sharing Child Sexual Abuse Files Via Kik

EVANSVILLE- Casey Lee Smith, 48, of Evansville, has been sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to two counts of distribution of sexually explicit material involving minors.

According to court documents, in January of 2022, the Evansville Police Department received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, stating that 16 files containing child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to the instant messaging application, Kik, by Casey Lee Smith. The video files included depictions of prepubescent minors and minors under the age of twelve years, as well as depictions of sadistic or masochistic conduct.

Investigators searched Smith's cellphone and uncovered 95 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material that had been accessed and viewed by Smith, with some involving infants. Investigators also located the Kik application, which Smith did not disclose on his list of social media accounts when updating his sex offender registration information, required annually.

Smith has been a registered sex offender since 2003 due to felony convictions for Child Exploitation and Possession of Child Pornography.

"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. "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."

"The exploitation of children is among the most heinous crimes we investigate. Every file this defendant shared represented the ongoing abuse of a real child," said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O'Malley. "He chose to traffic in the sexual abuse of children, and now he will spend years behind bars, unable to harm our communities. Let this serve as a warning: if you exploit children in any way, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will find you and ensure you face the full consequences of your actions."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant United States Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case.

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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc

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