Pennsylvania man sentenced to state prison for luring and recording children online

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA – An East Earl Township resident, Kenneth Lee Schmidt, aged 46, has been sentenced to two and a half to 10 years in state prison following his guilty plea to an array of charges involving the sexual exploitation of juveniles and the possession of what he referred to as a “huge” stash of child pornography.

The sentencing was conducted by Judge Merrill Spahn of Lancaster County, who addressed Schmidt directly, stating, “You deserve every second” of the sentence, while also expressing hope for Schmidt’s rehabilitation during his incarceration. Schmidt pleaded guilty to 49 felony charges, including possession and dissemination of child pornography, criminal solicitation, corruption of minors, identity theft, and criminal use of a communication facility.

This local conviction comes in addition to a federal sentence where Schmidt was already serving 35 years for similar offenses, a sentence to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. The state sentence will run concurrently with his federal term.

Schmidt’s criminal activities came to light in 2020 after a cyber tip traced an IP address linked to both his residence in East Earl Township and a restaurant in Sadsbury Township where he was employed. Investigations revealed that Schmidt had been sharing child pornography online since at least 2018, which had also caught the attention of federal authorities.

During a search at Schmidt’s home, law enforcement discovered hundreds of images and videos on his devices, including at least 30 videos of nude children and 76 videos depicting children in sexual acts. In interviews, Schmidt confessed to disseminating child pornography online multiple times and claimed his collection was so vast that he could “scroll through them for the rest of my life and never look at the same image twice.”

Schmidt used an online alias, posing as a teenage boy named “Ben,” to manipulate minors aged 13 to 17 into sending him explicit images and videos. These victims believed they were interacting with a peer, unaware that Schmidt was using the identity of a real boy, whose likeness was used without consent.

First Deputy Assistant District Attorney Cody Wade emphasized that the state conviction ensures justice for the victims and public safety. Despite the severity of his crimes, Schmidt’s attorney conveyed his client’s remorse and desire for rehabilitation through prison programs.

Schmidt did not speak during the sentencing hearing. His actions have left a significant impact, leading to this combined legal response from both state and federal jurisdictions aimed at addressing the gravity of his offenses and protecting potential future victims.

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