North Carolina man sentenced to 40 years on child pornography charges
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A Hendersonville man was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday on production of child pornography charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Kieron Mann, 45, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to continue to register as a sex offender and to pay $50,000 as restitution to his victims.
“After receiving a lead from our Cyber Crimes Center about the suspected distribution of child pornography by this defendant, who is a registered sex offender, HSI special agents in Hendersonville were able to determine he was in fact producing child pornography with a very young child and was sexually abusing two other children,” said Ryan L Spradlin, acting special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta. “Thanks to the hard work of HSI and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, not to mention an aggressive prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this monstrous child predator will never again have an opportunity to abuse another innocent victim.”
“The safety and security of the children in our communities is paramount. Through the efforts of agents from the Department of Homeland Security and deputies of the Henderson County Sheriff’s office, families affected by this vile predator can rest more comfortably knowing their children will never be harmed by Mr. Mann again,” said Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald.
In May 2014, Mann pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement executed search warrants at Mann’s residence, and seized his computers and cellular phones. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed that they contained images and videos of child pornography, which Mann had produced. Mann is a registered sex offender, which stems from his 1996 federal conviction for receiving child pornography. At today’s hearing, Mann’s sentence was enhanced because of his criminal history. Federal prison sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Updated: