LUCAS COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - A Fort Jennings man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on a federal child exploitation charge.
33-year-old Kirk Smith pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor in the Northern Ohio District Federal Court. According to court documents, Smith was talking online with an undercover officer about being sexually active with a minor and having pictures of them. He sent the pictures to the officer that were sexual in nature. The FBI searched Smith's home and seized his phone that had the conversation he had with the undercover officer online. He is also ordered to pay $5,000, to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
August 18, 2023 Press Release from the United States Attorney’s Office: TOLEDO – Kirk Smith, 33, of Fort Jennings, Ohio was sentenced on Wednesday, August 16, to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp after earlier pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor. Judge Knepp also ordered Smith to pay a $100 special assessment and be placed on supervised release for 10 years upon release from imprisonment. Additionally, Smith was ordered to pay $5,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
According to court documents, in September of 2021, Smith engaged in online communication with undercover law enforcement and indicated he was sexually active with a minor child and had nude photos of the child. Shortly thereafter, Smith sent photos of a minor child that were sexually exploitive. A court authorized search warrant was executed at Smith’s residence where his cellphone was seized and found to contain the messages Smith exchanged with the undercover law enforcement online.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara Al-Sorghali.
