Ky. man arrested on child pornography charges

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced the arrest of a Kenton County man for possession and distribution of child pornography. 

The Kenton County Sheriff’s Department arrested Ryan Mathew Hoff, 24, of Independence, Ky., Wednesday night on one count of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and one count of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.

The charges stem from an undercover investigation by the cybercrimes unit that began on Aug. 13 of this year. Cybercrimes investigators executed a search warrant at Hoff’s residence on Sept. 6 with the assistance of Kentucky State Police, according to reports. A forensic exam of computers seized from the residence identified more than 30,000 images and videos of suspected child sexual abuse.

Hoff entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment Thursday morning in Kenton District Court. He was lodged in the Kenton County Detention Center in lieu of $5,000 cash bond.

According to the Kentucky Attorney General's office, since its creation in June of 2008, the cybercrimes unit has launched nearly 300 child pornography investigations and seized approximately 350,000 child pornographic images and videos from the Internet. The unit is also a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

For additional information on cybersafety in Kentucky, visit General Conway’s Cybersafety Page at http://ag.ky.gov/cybersafety/ . To report cyber abuse, visit the CyberTipline or call 1-800-843-5678.