Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Joshua Kahanek, a 44-year-old man from Oklahoma, was sentenced in Mobile, Alabama, after pleading guilty to failing to register as a sex offender. Kahanek entered his guilty plea on May 21, 2025.
Court records show that Kahanek was convicted of first-degree rape in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2008 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released on April 11, 2022. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), he was required to register as a sex offender. Throughout 2022 to 2024, Kahanek completed several forms with his SORNA officer in Oklahoma acknowledging his registration responsibilities, including registering in any jurisdiction where he worked.
Authorities received information about Kahanek’s presence in the Southern District of Alabama on June 7, 2024. The Foley Police Department and Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the report. The Mobile Police Department later found Kahanek working at a Target store for a company installing fiber optic cables. He had not registered as a sex offender in Alabama.
Chief United States District Judge Beaverstock sentenced Kahanek to time served and imposed five years of supervised release. Since his arrest on March 6, 2025, Kahanek had been held in custody. During supervised release, he will be required to undergo sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment, mental health treatment, and must continue to register as a sex offender. He was also ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
The investigation involved the United States Marshals Service along with local law enforcement agencies including the Foley Police Department, Mobile Police Department, and Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources for prosecution and victim identification. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc and additional internet safety education resources are available at https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.
