Source: United States Department of Justice News
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Alexander D. Pennington, 35, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, on child pornography charges. Pennington was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,000.
Pennington was charged in a superseding indictment in November 2021 with conspiracy to advertise the distribution of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the charge on August 30, 2022. According to information introduced in court, from on or about May 1, 2021 through July 7, 2021, Pennington was a sub-administrator of private chat groups on the Kik Messenger app and had his own username. These private chat groups were dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of child pornography. As a sub-administrator, Pennington enforced the rules of the private chat groups, one of which required members of the private chat groups to post child pornography or be removed from the groups.
On or about June 1, 2021, Pennington a.k.a. “grimka00” published an advertisement in the private chat group titled “Sneak & Peak” for the purpose of receiving and displaying child pornography. The advertisement consisted of a notice which stated, “Any babies?” along with an image of a nude female baby.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative 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, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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