A woman from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for producing child pornography. The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania reported that Mykayliah Hevener, aged 26 and residing in Carbondale, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley on January 30, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that Hevener engaged in sexual contact with a toddler over approximately nine months in 2023. During this time, she created images and videos of child pornography which were either broadcast live or sent over the internet to her co-conspirator, Benjamin Egli from Iowa. Egli is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa and has pleaded guilty; he awaits sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Tipton Police Department in Iowa. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti led the prosecution.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
