Little Rock Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography

LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man was sentenced Thursday for possessing and distributing child pornography that showed children as young as one year old being sexually abused. Kenneth Laren Harvey, 49, of Little Rock, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James M. Moody, Jr. The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Cody Hiland, announced today’s sentencing.

During an online investigation in 2017, detectives downloaded child pornography from an IP address that officers traced to Harvey’s residence. The child pornography that detectives downloaded from Harvey included numerous videos depicting sexual acts being performed on children under the age of 12. Some of the videos were over 30 minutes long.

Based on those downloads, investigators obtained a search warrant for Harvey’s home. Officers seized multiple electronic devices, and forensic examination revealed that Harvey possessed over 2,000 images of child pornography. The images included depictions of sadism and masochism, as well as sexual acts being performed on children as young as one to three years old. During the search, detectives also discovered a peephole in Harvey’s shower, which he used to secretly film women.

“The sexual abuse of any child is abhorrent, but the degree of depravity in this case is especially disturbing because of the infant victims involved,” said U.S. Attorney Hiland. “These images are reprehensible, and collectors of child pornography like this defendant only create demand for more children to be abused. Our office will continue to prosecute those who perpetuate the horrors of the child pornography industry.”

Harvey was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 9, 2018, in an indictment that charged him with one count of possession of child pornography and three counts of distribution of child pornography. In addition to 15 years in prison, Harvey was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. Judge Moody also sentenced Harvey to ten years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

The investigation was conducted by the Little Rock Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.