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A Lexington man, Kevin Daniel Lentz, 49, was sentenced Thursday, at U.S District Court in Lexington, to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the production and possession of child pornography.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Lentz admitted in his plea agreement that he began an online conversation with a 9-year-old victim, on Mar. 19, 2023. Within minutes, the chat became sexual. Lentz sent the victim 85 images or videos of adult pornography, including sexually explicit images and videos of Lentz. He persuaded the victim to create multiple sexually explicit videos and images of himself, and to send them to Lentz via the internet. 

Lentz acknowledged that, at the time, he knew the victim was a minor. The conduct was discovered after the victim’s parents located the sexually explicit conversations and images on the victim’s phone. The parents then contacted law enforcement.

A search warrant was executed at Lentz’s residence in Lexington on Aug. 8, 2023. The search resulted in the seizure of numerous electronic devices, including a computer, a cellular phone, and multiple hard drives. A search of these devices revealed several hundred additional images and videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that Lentz obtained from the internet.  

Under federal law, Lentz must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life. Lentz was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution and $22,000 in special assessments.