Codi Vaughan, a 25-year-old from Fair Chance, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Vaughan was indicted on June 2, 2023, by a federal grand jury in Little Rock on five counts of production and three counts of receipt or distribution of child sexual abuse material. He pleaded guilty to one count on October 16, 2024. In addition to his prison term of 204 months, Vaughan will serve ten years of supervised release. Federal sentencing does not allow for parole.
The case began when the FBI received a tip via the Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General hotline on February 3, 2023. The tip alleged that Vaughan sought sexual relations with minors and had purchased child pornography. At the time, Vaughan worked as a mechanic for the Air Force and lived at Little Rock Air Force Base.
FBI Special Agents interviewed a minor in Maryland who reported that Vaughan contacted her through Snapchat seeking to buy explicit images from her and other minors. On February 6, 2023, Vaughan again used Snapchat to solicit another minor in Maryland for self-produced child pornography. In both cases, he offered payment for the material.
Investigators found that since at least January 2022, Vaughan regularly communicated with minors in Maryland and Virginia using Snapchat. This pattern led to an enhanced sentence due to repeated offenses involving minors. In January 2023, he offered $1,000 to a minor in exchange for sexual acts.
Further investigation showed that Vaughan made payments or offers via CashApp to minors in exchange for explicit material. His CashApp records indicated multiple transactions with minors during periods when he knew they were underage.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations conducted the investigation with help from the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant prosecuted the case.
“Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.”
