Kentucky Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Offenses

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Kentucky man was arrested yesterday on child exploitation charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

A four-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court charges Aden Willis Yeager, 21, of Louisville, Kentucky, with one count of production of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography arising out of events that occurred between April 2020 and October 2020 in Tuscaloosa County. 

“Summer is here, and children will have an increased online presence.  I encourage parents to have open and ongoing conversations about safe and appropriate online behavior,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “My office, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue in our efforts to protect our most vulnerable victims – our children.”

If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.

For information on the FBI’s guidance on child exploitation and protecting children visit https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/protecting-your-kids.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The maximum penalty for production of child pornography is thirty years, and the penalty for coercion and enticement of a minor is ten years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for transportation and possession of child pornography is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF)investigated the case along with the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force and the University of Alabama Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.