A Kansas resident, Zachary Charles Hiskey, 27, from Hutchinson, has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison for distributing materials depicting child exploitation. Hiskey admitted to one count of distributing child pornography.
Court documents detail that in June 2021, Hiskey utilized a messaging platform, Kik, to distribute videos showing adult males engaged in explicit activities with young children. The platform's detection system identified the content and alerted authorities through a cyber tipline. Further investigation linked Hiskey's email and home IP address to additional illicit materials.
During a warranted search at Hiskey's home, law enforcement discovered an electronic device with a browser showing recently accessed child exploitation content. A detailed forensic investigation confirmed that the involved Kik account had been installed and later removed from Hiskey's phone.
The FBI conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart prosecuted the case under Project Safe Childhood. This initiative, started by the Department of Justice in 2006, seeks to address child sexual exploitation through a collaborative effort of various federal, state, and local agencies.
Further information on Project Safe Childhood is available at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
