SUNSET, La. (KLFY) — Two defendants, both from Sunset, were sentenced for the production and distribution of child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Dustin Patrick Wyble, 37, of Sunset, Louisiana, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison. Katie-Sue Fory Walz, 33, also of Sunset, was sentenced to 96 months (8 years) in prison.
Both Wyble and Walz were each ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,000. Following their release from prison, they will serve 15 years of supervised release. In addition, mandatory sex offender registration was ordered for both defendants.
According to evidence presented to the court, Wyble began communicating through the internet chat application, KIK, with an undercover agent in February 2020. During these chats, Wyble provided images of a prepubescent child exposing their private parts in the image.
Through their investigation, law enforcement agents were able to determine where Wyble lived and went to his residence to speak with him.
Wyble eventually admitted to using KIK in order to send images of child pornography to other users. A search warrant was obtained for Wyble’s residence and agents seized several electronic devices that Wyble admitted were used to send images through KIK.
A forensic examination of the devices revealed that Wyble used the devices to store numerous child pornographic images and used his KIK account to administer group chats to share child pornographic images among the group’s users. The investigation also revealed that Wyble and Walz produced
some of the images recovered.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and Louisiana State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and Robert C. Abendroth.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Project Safe Childhood | Department of Justice.
