Former Pennsylvania State Police corporal sentenced to 23 years on child porn charges

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A former Pennsylvania State Police corporal was sentenced to 23 years in prison after prosecutors said he recorded a minor showering and changing multiple times and saved one of the videos to a thumb drive with hundreds of other videos showing child sexual abuse. 

The Department of Justice said Sean McKenzie used a camera in a bathroom to record a child showering and changing on three separate occasions. He allegedly uploaded the videos he created to a Dropbox account, along with another video of an unknown minor.

The Department of Justice said he also saved one of the videos to a thumb drive where authorities said he had hundreds of other videos of child sexual abuse material, showing minors, toddlers and even babies. 

The thumb drive was found in the lapel pocket of his state police uniform, prosecutors said. 

McKenzie worked out of the New Stanton barracks when he was arrested. He joined state police in 2008. 

In sentencing McKenzie, the judge acknowledged the pain and harm he caused his victims and called him a danger to society. 

“This defendant betrayed his oath as a sworn law enforcement officer and victimized the very children he was sworn to protect,” said United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan in a news release. “McKenzie’s conduct represents the most disturbing betrayal of trust, and today’s sentence provides more proof that this office and our partners in law enforcement will bring the full force of federal law to seek justice for child sexual abuse victims.”  

McKenzie was convicted of seven counts of child sexual exploitation, including the production and attempted production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, and transportation and attempted transportation of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.