Kentucky

Kentucky Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Child Exploitation

**Walton, KY** – A Kentucky resident was sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while in the Philippines.

Court documents state that Robert Maxwell Werner, 46, from Walton, Kentucky, engaged in illegal activities between February 2021 and November 2021. Werner reportedly bought access from a Filipino associate to several minor victims for various sexual activities and also paid for customized CSAM. He is accused of sexually abusing minors during five in-person meetings at different locations in the Philippines and providing them with money and basic necessities.

Werner’s plea agreement includes an admission of engaging in sexually explicit acts with at least one minor to create visual depictions from July 2021 to November 2021. He further admitted to transporting this material into the U.S. and continued soliciting CSAM after his return to the country.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, along with Philippine authorities, investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse.