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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Bayonet Point, Florida, man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise connected to the "Rapey.su" website.
Kyle William Leishear, 43, was a prominent member of the site, which authorities say was dedicated to child sexual exploitation.
According to the Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney's Office, after becoming a member of the website, Leishear enticed minor victims, including one as young as 12-years-old, to produce and share sexually explicit images.
They say he also attempted to distribute child sexual abuse material on the site.
Leishear’s co-defendants were sentenced for their roles in April. Christopher William Kuehner, 38, of Bremerton, Washington, received a sentence of 20 years in prison. Jacob Royce Mullins, 20, of South Webster, Ohio received 84 months in prison, and Matthew Martin, 25, of Lancaster, Wisconsin, received 80 months of imprisonment.
"I am grateful for the hard work of our agents and prosecutors to seek justice in this horrific case. These defendants caused immeasurable trauma on their victims, amplified by the groups online sharing of their abuse," said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "This case shows that internet anonymity will not protect offenders from facing full accountability for their illegal online conduct."
"We cannot and will not tolerate websites like "Rapey.su" that invite and encourage members to congregate, discuss, and engage in the sexual exploitation of children and young women, to memorialize this exploitation, and to distribute illegal sexually explicit images of the victims," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out these websites and bringing to justice those who join them for the purpose of perpetuating the victimization of some of the most vulnerable members of society."
Officials say in a related case last year, a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted Ashley Kolhoff, 22, of Port Clinton, Ohio, of production of child pornography for her participation on the "Rapey.su" website. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Other users of the site have also been prosecuted successfully in state and federal court.