Child Predator Flagged by Kik for Sharing Child Pornography

TULSA, Okla. - A child predator living in Tulsa was sentenced today for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Terence C. Kern sentenced Walter Zachary Treat, 31, to 135 months imprisonment, followed by ten years of supervised release. Upon his release, Treat will be required to register as a sex offender and is prohibited from looking at sexually explicit materials, such as pornography. Judge Kern further ordered Treat to pay $3,000 in restitution.

In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTip from Kik that a user was sharing videos that showed children being sexually abused. Tulsa County deputies began investigating the tip and discovered that Treat was the user. A search warrant was executed at his home, and several electronic devices were seized. While speaking with investigators, Treat admitted to receiving and sharing images and videos of children being sexually abused.

When investigators reviewed Treat's devices, they found 18 videos and more than 60 images, including prepubescent children being sexually abused. Additionally, investigators saw that Treat was chatting with someone on Facebook about luring children into bathrooms so he could sexually assault them. The images and videos found on his devices were sent to the National Child Victim Identification System, managed by the NCMEC, for identification. Twenty-three individuals were identified and allowed to submit victim impact statements to the court.

Treat was detained in November 2025 and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert prosecuted the 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal 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.