BALTIMORE – A West Virginia man pled guilty in federal court to child sex abuse crimes he committed as a member of the U.S. armed forces.
Jacob Michael Young, 25, of Charleston, is charged with possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While serving as an active-duty senior airman in the United States Air Force, and residing at Joint Base Andrews (JBA) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, authorities identified Young as a suspect in trafficking CSAM, which involved the receipt and distribution of CSAM.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office.
As detailed in his plea agreement, the FBI received four CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCEMC) from Kik, a software company. Between November 2024 and January 2025, Kik reported that approximately 56 suspected CSAM files were uploaded by four different Kik accounts on Kik Messenger.
Kik Messenger is a messenger application that allows users to send texts, videos, and other files within the Kik app. All four CyberTips listed a specific IP address associated with the Kik accounts. Law enforcement traced the IP address to Young’s residence at JBA.
Then law enforcement executed a search warrant at Young’s residence and seized multiple devices. During questioning, Young admitted messaging with other Kik users about exchanging CSAM. Young stated he sometimes paid for CSAM using gift cards or money sent via CashApp, as confirmed by subpoenaed records. A forensic analysis of Young’s devices revealed more than 200 CSAM files.
Young and the government reached an agreement that, if the court accepts the plea agreement, he faces 3.5 to 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis scheduled sentencing for Tuesday, September 8, at 10 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation, along with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan McKoy who is prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md.
