DALLAS – A Denton County man was sentenced to life in prison for possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material, announced Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mary Magness and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Texas Damien Diggs.
William Carl Kennedy, 42 was sentenced to life imprisonment for the sexual exploitation of a child, followed by an additional 10 years for penalties for registered sex offenders, to run consecutively.
“No child should experience the abhorrent abuse this minor victim endured,” said HSI Dallas Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jesse Woods. “HSI remains relentless in protecting our most vulnerable citizens, ensuring justice is served for those who commit egregious crimes involving the exploitation of children.”
According to information presented in court, Kennedy is a registered sex offender with convictions for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Denton; lewd or indecent acts to a child in Marietta, Oklahoma; and failure to register as a sex offender in Texas.
In 2023, a child under the age of 12 reported that Kennedy had sexually abused them. Law enforcement officers from the Cooke County Sheriff's Office and the Denton County Sheriff's Office investigated and discovered evidence of Kennedy filming himself sexually abusing the child at a residence in Denton County. Kennedy distributed at least one recording of the child to another individual.
Kennedy pleaded guilty on Nov. 14, 2023, to production of child pornography and penalties relating to violations for registered sex offenders.
HSI’s victim-centered approach to these investigations continues in the identification or rescue of thousands of victims of child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and financial fraud.
HSI Dallas investigated the case with support from the Denton Police Department, the Denton County Sheriff’s Office and the Cooke County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity 24/7 by calling the HSI tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.
Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSI_Dallas.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of DHS, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.