Kyle D. Lawrence, Sexual Exploitation, Ohio 2026

State: Ohio
Category: Sex Crimes
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/grand-jury-indicts-new-york-man-charged-federal-sexual-exploitation-crimes" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted Kyle D. Lawrence, 43, of Buffalo, New York, on two-count federal sexual exploitation charges in the Southern District of Ohio.

According to charging documents, on Feb. 16, Colerain Township police began investigating the circumstances surrounding a missing teenager. Officers reviewed video surveillance from the minor’s home and discovered that in January, the teenager entered a black Jeep Grand Cherokee with New York license plates.

License plate readers and receipts confirm that Lawrence allegedly rented the vehicle and that he and the minor stayed at a Cincinnati hotel together on Jan. 31.

It was discovered that Lawrence was the subject of a report to the FBI in May 2024. Lawrence was confronted by a citizen vigilante group while in Canada for allegedly traveling to Canada to have sexual contact with a purported 15-year-old girl.

Agents in Buffalo had previously been in contact with Lawrence in response to the report. Further investigation by the FBI revealed two cyber tip reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding Lawrence’s Snapchat account and child exploitation activity.

On Feb. 26, FBI agents in Buffalo executed a federal search warrant at Lawrence’s residence and seized several electronic devices, which contained child sexual abuse material. An affidavit details that Lawrence told agents he communicated with the minor from Colerain on Snapchat and traveled to the Cincinnati area twice in January to meet up.

The indictment charges Lawrence with transportation with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (a crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison) and transportation of child pornography (five to 20 years in prison).

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