A Largo man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for viewing child sexual abuse videos and images on the dark web.
Benjamin McKenzie, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday. He was also sentenced to a 20-year term of supervision and ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
McKenzie pleaded guilty on November 28, 2017. The crime occurred between September 2014 and March 2015, when McKenzie accessed child pornography on an anonymizing website on the dark web.
FBI agents executed a search warrant at McKenzie’s residence and a forensic examination of his computer revealed that it contained at least 400 videos and 100 images depicting children being sexually abused, as well as evidence that McKenzie had downloaded child pornography over the Internet.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Defendant: Benjamin McKenzie
Criminal Charges: Possessing child sexual abuse videos and images
City and State: Largo, Florida
Crime Date: Between September 2014 and March 2015
Sentence: Four years in federal prison, 20-year term of supervision
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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