Timothy Lennard Gebhart, a resident of Woodbury, has admitted guilt in a case involving the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick announced the plea.
Court documents reveal that between July 10, 2021, and March 11, 2022, Gebhart coerced two minors into engaging in sexually explicit activities to create pornographic videos. He then distributed these videos using electronic devices and extorted one of the victims by threatening to share the explicit content with their family and friends.
Gebhart entered his guilty plea before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell in U.S. District Court on charges including two counts of child pornography production, one count of distribution, and one count of interstate communication with intent to extort. Sentencing will occur at a later date, with Gebhart facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kirkpatrick stated: “Sextortion—threatening to share explicit images of a victim unless they comply with a predator’s demands—is abhorrent. All too often, our children become victims of these monstrous schemes. My office will continue to prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law.”
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse since May 2006. This program involves federal, state, and local resources working together to locate offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by several law enforcement agencies including the Woodbury Police Department, Greene County Sheriff’s Department in Indiana, Indiana State Police, FBI, and Owatonna Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen is handling the prosecution.
