A Lexington man, Eric Kelsey Shepherd, aged 30, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell delivered the sentence following Shepherd's conviction.
Shepherd was identified by law enforcement following reports in January 2022 of a 12-year-old victim being sexually exploited. Investigations uncovered that Shepherd met the victim via Snapchat, initially misrepresenting his age as 17. The interactions, some of which involved alleged violence, were captured in images and videos found on both the victim's and Shepherd's cellphones. Shepherd's past offenses include a state conviction for sexual abuse and unlawful transaction with a minor, leading to enhanced penalties in the current case.
Under federal law, Shepherd is required to serve 85 percent of his sentence, after which he will remain under the lifetime supervision of the U.S. Probation Office.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, announced the sentencing along with Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Chief Lawrence Weathers of the Lexington Police Department, and Sheriff Mike Coyle of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
The Homeland Security Investigations, the Lexington Police Department, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice launched in 2006 aiming to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program brings together resources from various federal, state, and local levels to combat these crimes and assist in rescuing victims. More information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
