DOJ: Four, including Bremerton man, sentenced for contributing to child sex abuse website

WASHINGTON - Four men, including one from Bremerton, were sentenced in federal court Wednesday for using and contributing to a child sex abuse website.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced 38-year-old Christopher Keuhner, of Bremerton, and 43-year-old Kyle Leishear of Bayonet Point, Florida, were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Their codefendants, 20-year-old Jacob Mullins of South Webster, Ohio, was sentenced to seven years, and 25-year-old Matthew Martin of Lancaster, Wisconsin, was sentenced to six years and eight months.

According to the DOJ, the four were prominent members of a website dedicated to child sexual exploitation; discussing abuse of children, convincing children to share sexually explicit photos on the site, and even sexually abusing children themselves.

"We cannot and will not tolerate websites like [this one] that invite and encourage members to congregate, discuss, and engage in the sexual exploitation of children and young women, to memorialize this exploitation, and to distribute illegal sexually explicit images of the victims," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. "The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out these websites and bringing to justice those who join them for the purpose of perpetuating the victimization of some of the most vulnerable members of society."

Prosecutors say Leishear, Kuehner, Mullins and Martin produced and shared sexually explicit images of children. Leishear enticed several victims, including one as young as 12-years-old, to share explicit photos. Mullins also produced videos of himself having sex with a minor he met on the website, according to the DOJ.

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"I am grateful for the hard work of our agents and prosecutors to seek justice in this horrific case. These defendants caused immeasurable trauma on their victims, amplified by the group’s online sharing of their abuse," said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber. "This case shows that internet anonymity will not protect offenders from facing full accountability for their illegal online conduct."