Terre Haute man sentenced 30 years for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WISH) — A Terre Haute man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for using the Kik app to distribute and receive child sexual abuse material.
Paul Hoopingarner, 62, of Terre Haute, plead guilty to three counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material, three counts of receiving child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, beginning in at least January 2021, and continuing to at least February 2021, Hoopingarner used Kik to distribute and receive images and videos of the sexual abuse of children as young as eight-years-old. Hoopingarner used the screenname “domeeasey69” to communicate and share images and videos of adults engaged in sex acts with children with others who were also sexually interested in children. The material Hoopingarner shared and stored included depictions of sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence, as well as depictions of the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants.
Hoopingarner is a repeat and dangerous sex offender against children, following his 1996 conviction for child molesting in Morgan County, Indiana.
“Pedophiles use the perceived anonymity of communications apps to share horrific images of child sex abuse and communicate with like-minded criminals,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “This defendant engaged in a series of horrific crimes and abuses against children, online and off, and he has now been held accountable for his actions. Thanks to the outstanding work of the Secret Service, Indiana State Police, and our federal prosecutor, the serious federal prison sentence imposed here ensures that he will never again harm a child.”
Hoopingarner will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for the rest of his life following his release from federal prison.
