U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV | U.S. Department of Justice
A Greenup County man, Richard Burton, 50, has been sentenced to 174 months in prison for distributing child pornography. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Monday.
Burton's guilty plea revealed that law enforcement received a tip on January 10, 2024, about child pornography on the social media platform Kik. It was discovered that Burton owned the flagged account. Authorities found at least eight images or videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct after reviewing the account. A search warrant for Burton and his electronic devices led to additional evidence supporting the findings from Kik records and messages indicating he sent and received child pornography. Burton admitted to knowingly distributing and possessing the material.
Under federal law, Burton is required to serve 85 percent of his sentence. After his release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 25 years.
The sentencing announcement was made jointly by Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Louisville Field Office; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton prosecuting on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse online through collaboration among federal, state, and local resources.
