Louisville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Online Enticement of a Minor and Production of Child Pornography Offenses

LOUISVILLE, KY—A Louisville Man who pleaded guilty to violating federal child exploitation laws was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 12 years of supervised release this week, by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Simpson, III, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

Marvin Duane Monk, age 46, Monk pleaded guilty to a two-count Indictment returned by a federal grand jury on October 2, 2012. Monk was previously charged in a September 6, 2012 criminal complaint.

According to court records, on August 19, 2012, Monk’s spouse discovered that he had been engaging in sexual activities with her minor daughter in their Louisville residence. Monk left the residence in Louisville and moved to a hotel in Clark County, Indiana. Shortly thereafter, he took the minor from Louisville to Indiana with him. Not knowing where her daughter was, the mother contacted the Louisville Metro Police Department and filed a missing person report. She also filed for and received an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) against Monk in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The EPO included an order that Monk have no contact with either his wife or the minor stepdaughter.

Two days later, the mother learned that Monk and her daughter were staying at a motel in Clarksville, Indiana. Clark County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the motel where they found Monk and the minor.

Monk subsequently admitted to law enforcement officers that he brought his stepdaughter to Indiana from her home in Louisville. Monk also admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with the minor and to recording the sexual activity. The Clark County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant on the motel room. Evidence seized included a video recorder, videotapes, and cellular telephones.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Louisville Metro Police Department Crimes Against Children Unit, Louisville Division of the FBI, and Clark County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices, 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.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab.