Akron man charged with sexually exploiting 14-year-old

An Akron man was indicted in federal court for sexually exploiting a 14-year-old, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office.

Benny T. Hunt, 40, was charged with enticement, sexual exploitation of a child and distributing visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Hunt knowingly used a cellular phone with Internet connectivity to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a 14-year-old girl, to engage in sexual activity for which Hunt could be charged with a criminal offense. This took place between June and August, according to the indictment.

Hunt used, persuaded, enticed and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256(2), for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and such visual depiction was produced using materials that had been mailed, shipped and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, and such visual depiction was actually transported and transmitted, using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, and in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, according to the indictment

He also knowingly distributed, using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, visual depictions of a 14-year-old girl engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Sullivan.  The case was investigated by the Youngstown office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Girard Police Department.  

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.