LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Kansas man, who told a 14-year-old girl he wanted to “take a kid’s virginity” after meeting her on Twitter, pled guilty this week to federal child exploitation charges, according to the United State's Attorney.
Andrew Kent, 22, a.k.a. “Leo” and “JeffThePumpkin,” from Manhattan, Kansas, pled guilty this week to one count of sexual exploitation of children. At sentencing, Kent faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years.
“This case demonstrates the importance of knowing not only what your children are doing online, but also with whom they are communicating,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “There are dangerous people on the Internet who specifically target children. We will use every tool we have to find those people and bring them to justice, but parents also perform a critical part in educating and monitoring their children’s online activity.”
According to court documents, in January 2023, Kent met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg, Virginia, on Twitter. Initially, Kent pretended to be a 20-year-old woman named “Tris.” He used this “Tris” persona to introduce his victim to a young man named “Leo.” In reality, both the “Tris” and “Leo” profiles were controlled by Kent.
Kent told his victim that he was from Roanoke, Virginia, and sent generic pictures of Roanoke in order to further convince her of their geographic proximity to each other.
When they began chatting, the victim informed Kent that she was only 14 years old. Kent told the her that he was 21 years old and that he was interested in meeting her someday in order to “take a kid’s virginity.”
As the conversations progressed, Kent told the 14-year-old that she needed to call him “Daddy,” “Sir,” or “Master,” and then warned her that he might punish her if she failed to do so. Kent also directed violent language at the victim, telling her he wanted to cut her and make her bleed.
After several weeks of chatting, Kent instructed the victim to send him nude photographs and videos of herself, to which she obliged.
On June 16, 2023, Kent was arrested by law enforcement and interviewed by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At that time, he admitted to using Twitter, Snapchat, and Discord to contact minor girls for the purpose of getting them to send him naked pictures. He often used the “Tris” persona because he found it was easier to get minor girls to talk to him if he pretended to be a young woman.
Kent estimated he solicited and received images of child sexual abuse material from approximately 200 minor girls.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and the Lynchburg Police Department provided vital assistance.