A Richmond, Kentucky man has been sentenced to 330 months in federal prison for producing child pornography. Derek Hahn, 37, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove on Monday.
According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding child sexual abuse material uploaded and shared via the Kik messaging platform. Authorities traced the activity to an IP address linked to Hahn’s residence and workplace. Upon his arrest, two phones were seized from Hahn that contained multiple images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators also discovered several videos showing a minor undressing and nude; these recordings appeared to have been made without the victim’s knowledge using a hidden camera. Hahn admitted he produced these materials.
Under federal guidelines, Hahn is required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for release. After completing his prison term, he will be subject to lifetime supervision by the U.S. Probation Office. He was also ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Derrick Napier of the Frankfort Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Coyle of Madison County jointly announced the sentencing.
“The investigation was conducted by HSI, KSP, Frankfort Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office,” according to officials. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.”
The prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006—to address child sexual exploitation online by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies as well as identifying victims and pursuing offenders through legal action. More information about this program can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
