A Leslie County man, Finley Wooton, 33, from Hyden, Kentucky, has been sentenced to 180 months in prison after being convicted of attempted production of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning.
Court documents state that on April 10, 2023, Wooton used Facebook Messenger to communicate with a minor victim. During this conversation, he sent sexually explicit images and requested similar images in return. This conduct led to his conviction for attempting to persuade the minor to create child pornography.
Wooton is required by federal law to serve at least 85 percent of his prison term. After his release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for ten years.
The case was announced by Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse online. Project Safe Childhood brings together resources from various agencies to pursue offenders and assist victims through efforts coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and other divisions within the Department of Justice. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
