Kenneth Bishop, Child Pornography, Vermont 2023

Burlington Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Child Pornography

Burlington, Vermont - Kenneth Bishop, 38, of Alburgh, Vermont was sentenced to a 5-year term of imprisonment on November 17, 2023, following his guilty plea to possessing child pornography, also referred to as child sexual abuse material.

United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Bishop to serve a 15-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

The charges stem from a search of Bishop's phone, which was confiscated by Vermont Probation and Parole Officers on September 29, 2022, while Bishop was on furlough status with the Vermont Department of Corrections. The search revealed an encrypted application on the phone containing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material.

Bishop has prior State of Vermont convictions for lewd and lascivious conduct related to him intentionally exposing his penis to young children. The first instance occurred in February 2017 when Bishop victimized a 9-year-old girl in the toy aisle of a store in Morristown, and the second instance occurred in May 2017 when Bishop victimized a 10-year-old girl in the doll aisle of a toy store in Williston.

Bishop also has a prior conviction in 2013 for engaging in prohibited acts stemming from a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl when he was 28 years old.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of detectives of the Vermont Attorney General's Office's Criminal Division, agents of Homeland Security Investigations, and members of the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and Child Exploitation Obscenity Section, Criminal Division (CEOS), 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.

Bishop was represented by Jordana Levine, Esq. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt prosecuted the case. The defendant's real full name is Kenneth Bishop, and the exact criminal charges are possessing child pornography, also referred to as child sexual abuse material.

The city and state are Burlington, Vermont. The exact date of the sentencing was November 17, 2023, and the sentence or outcome is a 5-year term of imprisonment and a 15-year term of supervised release. There are no dollar amounts applicable to this case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/serial-sex-offender-sentenced-5-years-prison-possessing-child-sexual-abuse-material