Date: 05-15-2018

Case Style:

Case Number: 3:17-cr-00124-CHB

Judge: CHB

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (Jefferson County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Jo E. Lawless

Defendant's Attorney: Ted Shouse

Description: Louisville, KY - Louisville Man Pleads Guilty To Attempted Distribution Of Obscene Material To A Minor

A Louisville man pled guilty to violating federal child exploitation laws earlier on May 10, 2018 in United States District Court. Scott Louis Craven, 36, admitted to online communications with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl. During those communications, he sent obscene materials to what he believed to be the youth.

“One of the fundamental duties of government is to protect the most vulnerable among us” stated U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “The Department of Justice will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute those that target our children for their own foul gratification.”

According to the plea agreement and other court records, during April 2017, an investigator with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office – Department of Criminal Investigations conducted an online undercover investigation. During that investigation, the investigator (in his undercover capacity), was contacted by Craven while both were using the social media platform KIK. The investigator identified himself as a 15-year-old girl from Louisville. During the online conversations, particularly on April 28, 2017, Craven sent the undercover nude images of himself as along with sexually graphic videos.

Craven will be sentenced on August 13, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. before United States District Judge Claria Horn Boom. Craven faces a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000.00 fine and at least five years of Supervised Release. There is no parole in the federal system. Craven remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.

The Kentucky Office of Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department and the United States Secret Service.

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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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Outcome: Guilty

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: